#Murdoch’s Machiavellian Manoeuvres . . .
After a string of ghoulishly inappropriate tweets it seems the irrepressible Rupert it is at it again. With very own his media empire poised and ready to dedicate swathes of precious air time to his every hashtag, it’s no surprise that the man cant keep his hands off his twitter account.
But given his latest round of tweets one has to wonder what on earth is Murdoch up to?
First he blasts Abbott for knighting that shining beacon of misogyny and casual racism that is Prince Phillip, and now he is saying Abbott needs to sack Peta Credlin?
I’m no great fan of Peta Credlin but blaming her for Abbott’s woes is like blaming a creme cake for Boko Haram. Admittedly she could have kept him on a tighter leash, but the reality is that Abbott is her boss, not the other way around, and if he is determined to go off like a loose cannon there isn’t really a lot Ms. Credlin can do about it.
While Murdoch’s call for Credlin’s scalp is understandable on one level, after all there is a well set precedent in Australian politics that powerful women are expected to clean up the messes made by the boys, and then thrown under a bus for their efforts, (Just think Joan Kirner, Julia Gillard, and more recently Sussan Ley, who – after Dutton’s abject failure- has been handed the delightful task of destroying Medicare… I guarantee you, give it 18 months and Ms Ley will be road kill), it is still a somewhat curious manoeuvre.
We all know that Abbott is Murdoch’s boy, bought and paid for, and no one would be surprised if Murdoch was suffering a touch of buyer’s remorse where Abbott is concerned. I for one would not be shocked if Murdoch, much like anyone else that buys a lemon, is desperately searching for an exit strategy that won’t leave too much egg on his face. But why would he slap Abbott down one day, and blame Credlin the next? Are we simply witnessing the random #’s of man who is getting on a bit and losing the plot, or does Murdoch have some kind of cunning plan?
Riding on the back of his media empire Murdoch currently enjoys great sway with the Australian voting public, but even he knows that in this social media age you can not take anything for granted. With the disgrace that was the phone hacking scandal in the UK, and the utter derision with which most of the USA views fox news (when Fox news can’t even raise enough votes in a racially polarised America to keep Obama out of office, you have know it’s a spent force), Australia is possibly the last place on earth where Rupert wields the kind of political influence he so clearly craves, and he certainly doesn’t want to blow it.
Murdoch has now quite rightly assessed the public sentiment, and realised that sticking up for his man Tony is only going to erode his social and political capital. So what to do? Abbott is now so toxic, standing by him is clearly not an option, but who can Rupert turn to to be his new man in Canberra?
Trouble is, in setting a such a hideous policy agenda Abbott has managed to turn each and every portfolio into a poison chalice that is guaranteed to cruel the chances of any potential successor.
It is unlikely Scott Morrison will ever recover from his stint in immigration, George Brandis has been eternally lumbered with the racist tag (courtesy of the ill advised attempt at 18c amendments), Joe Hockey is forever blighted with his budget opus, Julie Bishop is a woman so forget that, and let’s face it Christopher Pyne was never going to be a saleable option.
What about Andrew Robb or Peter Dutton? Really? I don’t think so! And then of course there is the ever popular Malcom Turnbull, the only one who could probably save them, but Turnbull is way too much of centrist for Murdoch’s purposes, and he isn’t supported in the party room anyway.
So what is poor Rupert to do about toxic Tony, he can’t side with him, and he can’t find a suitable successor?
This is where the attack on Credlin starts to make sense. From Rupert’s point of view, (as the undisputed emperor of his very own personal 24 hour news cycle), it’s not hard to see how Credlin could make a credible scape goat for all Abbott’s stuff ups. She is powerful, she is a woman, she is unelected (which means no messy bi-election swings to have to explain away), and as she is largely attributed with Abbott’s successes surely it wouldn’t be too hard to spin her into the cause of his failures as well.
Will Murdoch be able to successfully to transfer Abbott’s stench onto Credlin, (because if his tabloids are anything to go by, he is certainly having a red hot go at it)?
To me it looks like Murdoch is throwing Credlin to the wolves in one desperate last ditch attempt remediate Abbott’s image. The question is will the electorate buy it?
I’m thinking probably not.
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Return to home pageThat’s exactly what he’s doing.. throwing her to the wolves…or trying subtly to gain sympathy for her and thus save Abbott.
Abbott would surely follow Credlin out the door, as day follows night if the first scenario is right. Credlins’ framing would be the fatal indictment on Abbott himself.
I wish I could feel more sympathy for Peta, but the Eichmann defence doesn”t work any better for women than men.
As for Julie Bishop, it is reported elsewhere that like the true Handmaid, she has again donned abjectivity for the secret uptake of riding orders as to herself and Turnbull, who is less “noisy” than Credlin’s Abbott.
Bishop is a yeck not because of her gender but because of her wholehearted subscription to the same criminality as the rest.
For whatever else she is, my understanding is that Peta Credlin is a Republican- not a monarchist.
So scapegoat and sack her as they might, blaming her for the Knighthood blundering is more than a it of a stretch.
Jexpat, first thing, bearing out your conjecture , is the news that Credlin was not informed of Abbott’s infantile “Team Captain” decision.
But whether Credlin is guilty or innocent is irrelevant to the case, as is any collateral damage arising from a reactionary intervention.
Murdoch wants a diversion and perhaps to install someone less disruptive and ideological in the run up to the next election, if necessary. Then the plunder can proceed, out of sight, so adversariality is not needed just now, it has become surplus to requirements after the last election victory, as has its main practitioner.
This is a classic, News of the World stunt initiated by Murdoch, carried out by Abbott, to be prolonged by everyone on Fox/IPA payroll for as long as possible. Every Lib & cohort knew about the knighthood but Peta Credlin was always marked to be the fall guy. It started a few months ago. Men like Murdoch and Abbott seldom are held responsible for their actions. Murdoch has always blamed his employees for his mistakes. Abbott has always blamed women. As we speak Ms Credlin is probably negotiating her $10M Rebekah Brooks’ payout.
Although it gave me a laugh for the day, the real question is what was the stunt supposed to distract us from this time?
Shocked to find myself ‘defending’ Credlin, but Murdoch’s manoeuvre is so blatantly wrong and typical that I find I can do no other. Even if every decision of Abbott’s, every word uttered, every choice made, is led and directed by Credlin, the responsibility still resides fairly and squarely on Abbott. He is the prime minister. He is the ‘supposed’ leader of the Coalition, the Government, the country. Credlin is none of these things. If he is incapable of making the right choices for Australia and the Australian people, he is the one who must go. Credlin goes by default once Abbott goes. Women are too easily made the scapegoat for men’s follies; and failing an available women, any man will do. Abbott himself said, and has repeated, ‘The buck stops with me.’ Well, yes, it does. Said or unsaid, it definitely stops with him. He is in the top job. He is evidently, repeatedly evidently, not up to the job. He must go. But, and it’s a very big but, there is no-one to replace him. Even those who were moderately of potential have all eaten of the poisoned fruit, and done so all too willingly. They are, politically, damaged goods. The longer they remain in office, the more festering that damage becomes. It is fatal and Australia is the one truly at risk.
As for Murdoch, he is so far beyond being a spent force, it is a joke: a diabolical joke, but a joke nonetheless. I have to wonder, does he own a cat?
I can’t really say i am fond of Credlin,they have made her a scapegoat for Abbotts blunders ,no one tell Abbott what to do or not what to do he thought of this little beauty all by himself,Now poor old Rupert has realised what an idiot Abbott is and trying to pass the blame on to someone elese ,
could it be they are trying to get rid of credlin so julie wont have problems with her when she becomes PM
I doubt very much Credlin will go quietly unless she gets the payout she decides is appropriate. However I wouldn’t discount she is part of the plot. Nothing Murdoch does is transparent until he decides it will be so. These are early days of the current fiasco and as mentioned in Letitia’s article Murdoch has a huge investment in Abbott and also Credlin as the other half.
We are talking about a very vicious, no holds barred operator she was heavily involved in the attacks on Julia, orchestrating, guiding, holder of the ‘dirt file’. As was plainly seen as she carried it face cover exposed and snapped by a Parliament camera and publicised extensively on social media.
I have not a smidgen of sympathy for her, one reaps as one sows and she has been Abbott’s cultivator. There is an excellent article on The Drum re this Knighthood. It’s worth a read and gets to the whys and why nots of continuing this crazy narrative.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-29/green-weve-allowed-the-ridicule-rot-to-set-in/6053462
Poor old Tones. f he sacks Credlin, everyone will say we knew was really running the joint anyway. If he doesn’t the Akermans Devines and Shanahans of the world will be instructed to take him down. Poor bastard I almost, I said almost feel sorry for him but he brought it upon himself by a series of gaffes this award just being the latest.
According to Abbott, it’s just so much graffiti!!
Has anyone told Rupert?
Rupert, they do say of lemons in the used car yard, caveat emptor!
And once she is gone and Abbott continues on his merry toxic way, what then. Abbott and his incompetent toxic front bench are the problem. Credlin is irrelevant in the larger scheme of things; Still, it will be amusing to see how this all plays out.
To David..thx, a precious link.
As the French would say of them both – they have a corpse behind their teeeth and their breath stinks.
Completely agree, Letitia, Credlin is Murdoch’s scapegoat.
Interesting to see Abbotts pathetic Ministers rallying in support of Credlin. So begs the question if they are openly defying Abbott’s boss Murdoch, either they are not concerned about Murdoch’s influence (they should be) or they know something and as I suspect this telling Abbott to cut Credlin loose is part of a pre planned stunt. Imagine Pyne, Dutton, MacFarlane, Truss, Billson, Dey, Hartsuyker, Fifield standing up to Murdoch? I’d like to see it and then the all out attack from his print media. Its too absurd to believe they would revolt against ‘he who must be obeyed’. Apologies to Horace Rumpole.
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Looks like a diversion ….. over there !
To take the heat of the moron.
Seems Abbott has decided another diversion stunt will be the order of the day and this one is, for a 100% monarchist, too stupid to contemplate. However I may be missing something, will watch for enlightenment.
http://www.theshovel.com.au/2015/01/29/abbott-tries-to-regain-ascendancy-by-proposing-new-australia-flag/
David, the shovel is a satirical site….and they do a very good job of it.
Hi Kaye Lee cheers, I thought a bit of fun was in order but had to appear dumb which is no problem :-), so as not to give it away, thought the shovel would be a clue.
This is typical L.N.P. Trash to put us off ,so they can achieve what they are really after .That is to sign away agreement to enable Corporate companies to sue us .In a trade agreement.
They’re capable of it, Bob.
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This might be satirical as well :
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ob1W34E5B1k/VMkwB_MBtrI/AAAAAAAAXGM/1163udE8FOs/s1600/ScreenHunter_30%2BJan.%2B29%2B05.26.gif
Always difficult to tell with a scholarship artiste.
Murdoch doesn’t care about Abbott or the Liberal party and he doesn’t back losers. But he does know as Gillard learned (by not doing it) you have to take the public along with you when you overthrow the leader. He is preparing the way for a new leader probably Morrison. He isn’t popular with the voters or the backbenchers and will lose the next election but Morrison will smash Murdochs draconian changes through in this parliament, that is all Murdoch cares about.
Murdoch used Rudd mercilessly playing his huge but bruised ego and printing every damaging thing he said about Gillard and Labor. Murdoch knows he has to utterly destroy Abbott or he will hang around and do the same sort of damage Rudd did. We on the Left will cheer Abbotts demise but in the end we will just end up with somebody who is better at implementing Murdochs evil plan.
Credlin is irrelevant, that is the difference between aristocrats and social climbers. Real aristocrats like Murdoch and the Duke treat staff like Credlin and social climbers like Abbott like a boogie on the of the finger, one flick and you never think about it again.
Amanda with Shortens sticking up for Credlin, he is I suspect the ‘weak link’. ALP need to be very careful,
Why David what does it have to do with ALP. Murdoch is just getting rid of some under performers.
Look over there! Where? Anywhere but Queensland! …………Well played Rupe ………
Or was this Tone’s way of supporting Campbell? Knowing full well dubbing a knittinghood on duck would take some steam off the second most hated pollie n Aussie?
Not sure saying I,m with stupid and stupid too takes much heat off Newman.
Well David, I’m a rusted on Labor supporter and am a little wary about Shorten, but to call him a weak link because he says Ms Credlin is not to be blamed for Captain Catholic’s profound stupidity is a terribly long bow to draw. Just my opinion of course as I have no time for Ms Credlin either her or the captain.
The captain’s stupidity belongs to him and him alone, and maybe those who voted for it.
The fact an evil bastard like Rupert Murdoch who, isn’t even an Australian, is able to sway public opinion just because he can, says a lot more about us than it does about him.
The dumbing down of our nation was no accident. What would this nation of debt serfs be like if, as a nation, we had the capacity to think for ourselves.
Rupert entertains us, he does not inform us and I do not trust politicians who suck up to him.
Wanna know who the next PM will be? Keep an eye on who Rupert dines with.
I wish the evil bastard Murdoch would just hurry up and die or stay out of Australia’s affairs. He has no right to be telling anyone in politics what to do he is neither a politician nor an Australian. He is an unfit person to hold a business anywhere.