Bye, bye Barnaby Joyce (from finance, that is):

Niall Clugston writes: Re: “Inside and outside the tent: who’s micturating where” (Friday Item 1)  Bernard Keane argues Action Abbott “could have sent Barnaby Joyce to the backbench and failed to” (Friday, item 1).  Keane then delivers an analysis of the reshuffle, which covers a range of points but not the most obvious: the National Party.  The coalition is just that, a coalition, and Abbott can’t simply dump Australia’s most prominent National.  So long as the coalition endures, and no matter how embarrassing it is, the likes of Joyce and Tim Fischer will continue to strut the Australian political stage.

Earth Hour:

Viv Forbes writes: Re: editorial, Friday. Earth Hour should be renamed “Blackout Night” and be held outdoors, for the whole night, in mid-winter, on the longest and coldest night of the year —  June 22 in the Southern Hemisphere.

Winter nights are usually still and cold, so the candles crew can experience what it was like depending on alternate energy in the recent snowstorms in the Northern Hemisphere when wind turbines froze and solar panels were covered in snow. The back-to-nature brigade can also try living without iron roofs and concrete walls, both of which require coal and emit carbon dioxide during their production.

To hold a candles-and-champagne party indoors, on the mildest night of the year, for just one hour, shows that the whole thing is green tokenism. Moreover candles and champagne emit carbon dioxide. Let the true believers try the real thing in one of the extreme seasons so they can appreciate the great benefits we take for granted when using all of our carbon fuels.

Instead of sneering at human achievements, they should salute the people who keep the lights on for the other 364 days of the year. All over the world we have ageing power stations and an orchestrated campaign by a few warm and well-fed agitators to harass, delay and deter construction of new power facilities. Such a campaign can only have one result — many “Earth Night” blackouts are assured. So I support “Blackout Night” to prepare our population for the dark days ahead.

Chris Lehmann writes: Re: “SA election scandal to taint Rudd’s campaign?” (Friday, Item 5). Labor did a similar dirty trick during the Queensland election campaign, I was the booth captain at Patricks Rd SS for the Libs and witnessed the exact same strategy first hand. They had young volunteers taking off their red Labor T-shirts behind cars in the car park, and putting on “greenie” attire complete with bucket hats and sandals and handing out “green” how-to-vote cards with different preferencing to the green candidate. They didn’t even try to run a third party pressure group campaign, they just blatantly used the same volunteers and interchanged them between Labor and red/green how-to-votes.

Several people I knew tried to hand the “green” how-to-vote cards back to the real green candidate on their way out so they could be recycled, only to be told that they weren’t green material. An old neighbour of mine who is a committed greenie was incensed as he resented being manipulated into thinking the preferencing on the Labor card was a reflection of the green position. I heard others similarly upset, once it dawned on them that their vote had been manipulated in this way.

It may not be illegal, but it is certainly tricky and it does not respect the voting intentions of voters. It sets out to deliberately deceive, and it seems that it is a targeted, endorsed strategy nationwide by Labor. The question should be put directly to the PM, asking if this type of dishonest and misleading electioneering is sanctioned by him, in light of his oft-touted high moral and ethical standards.

Iron Man Abbott:

Richard Lawson writes: Glancing at this article re Abbott the iron man, this classic Black Sabbath dirge came irresistibly to mind. (Somehow I remember it sounding less ridiculous) I like to think it is surprisingly accurate in places.

“Iron Man”

Has he lost his mind?
Can he see or is he blind?
Can he walk at all,
Or if he moves will he fall?
Is he alive or dead?
Has he thoughts within his head?
We’ll just pass him there
why should we even care?
He was turned to steel
in the great magnetic field
When he travelled time
for the future of mankind
Nobody wants him
He just stares at the world
Planning his vengeance
that he will soon unfurl
Now the time is here
for Iron Man to spread fear
Vengeance from the grave
Kills the people he once saved
Nobody wants him
They just turn their heads
Nobody helps him
Now he has his revenge
Heavy boots of lead
fills his victims full of dread
Running as fast as they can
Iron Man lives again

AFL delayed coverage:

Vince Mahon writes: Thanks for publishing my comments on Ten’s coverage of Thursday night’s game etc in Glenn Dyer’s article — “Last night’s TV ratings” (Friday, item 20). I don’t think the AFL is responsible for the delayed coverage for Friday night football on Seven. Seven will only broadcast that match live in Melbourne when it is played in Perth. Seven will not show the match live in Melbourne when it is played in Adelaide, Sydney or Brisbane. Last year Brisbane played Collingwood in Brisbane on a Friday Night. Seven refused to show it live in Melbourne. The match was shown live in the ACT, NSW and Queensland including Brisbane on Foxtel.

If you lived in Brisbane you could watch the match live even though it was played there. But, you could not watch it live in Melbourne. I rang the AFL on the day of the match to be told the AFL could not do anything about it — the discretion rested with Seven as to when the match was shown. Various sports commentators have condemned Seven for its refusal to show games live. None have said the AFL is responsible.

Today (27/3) Foxtel will broadcast live in Victoria the Melbourne vs Hawthorn match played at the MCG. Foxtel regularly broadcasts games played in Melbourne live into Victoria. If the AFL does have a policy of not showing games live against the gate, then Foxtel could not show such games live in Melbourne and the rest of Victoria.

I think you will find Seven’s Better Homes & Gardens shown nationally takes precedence. Last year’s AFL preliminary finals were both played in Melbourne. Ten showed the Saturday night final live in Melbourne. Seven refused to show the Friday night final live in Melbourne despite requests from the AFL and viewers.

Problems with the anti-siphoning scheme include:

  • sports in order to get the best price from commercial networks have to accept terms set by the networks.
  • there is no requirement under the scheme for rights holders to broadcast national sporting events live.
  • there is no use or lose it provision.

The global trend is sporting fans want to see sport live on television etc. The debate here needs to be framed on what changes are required to deliver more national sporting events sports live on TV — on  FTA and pay TV.