The enemies of free speech
By Kathryn
The unspeakable, blatant ultra-right-wing bias of the Murdoch press in favour of the LNP is the huge elephant in the room here! Why isn’t the Murdoch’s name mentioned? The Murdoch media’s unregulated control and influence over just about every aspect of our media, especially the vile, unconscionable propaganda and relentless character-assassinating slander spewed out on a daily basis within such notorious Murdoch rags as The Courier Mail, The Daily Telegraph, The Australian and from ultra-conservative Murdoch-manipulated repugnant and truly offensive “Shock Jocks” (eg Alan Jones, Steve Price, Andrew Bolt, Ray Hadley, the ghastly Miranda Devine, Peta Credlin etc) is a criminal abuse of power! The verbal diarrhoea spewed out by these enemies of free speech and their determination to control everything we hear and see on every form of media is absolutely intolerable, and getting worse. Now we have ongoing muzzling of free speech, the arrest of essential whistle-blowers and the unlawful prosecution of journalists and protest marchers!
Every day the Murdoch press, their spineless lackeys in the LNP and their collaborators within the unelected swill of the undemocratic IPA, rage against the ALP, the Greens, unions, against the poorest and most vulnerable citizens in our country, against legal asylum seekers escaping from the tyranny of an illegal war Howard helped to create!
Every day Murdoch and his salivating shock jocks are ramping up xenophobic racism, hatred, fear, misogyny and heaping verbal attacks against young, female climate change activists on SkyNews, 2GB or the vacuous talking heads on Channels 7, 9 and 10 (the airhead, Kerry Ann Kennerly is an offensive example)! Now we have politically-motivated raids and hugely expensive government-sponsored Royal Commissions against unions, the ALP and into the offices of the ABC without one word of protest in the Murdoch press who, in fact, cheered on the fascist campaigns against these hated opponents of the LNP/Murdoch/IPA agenda!
How did all this start since the time when Labor introduced the regulation that more than 51% of our so-called democratic media could, and should, not be owned, managed and controlled by a single entity?
Answer: the undemocratic, Murdoch sycophant and infamous war criminal, John Howard rescinded the Media Ownership Laws in this nation and gave permission for the catastrophic bias, fascist lack of democracy, unashamed elitism and prejudiced right-wing bias by the LNP/Murdoch/IPA Alliance to be ramped-up to a level which goes against everything our nation values and once understood about democratic free speech, and our rights as a so-called democracy to expect and demand impartiality of the news! This unholy collaboration of totally corrupt, mutually benefiting elitists is, without any doubt, the worst, most dangerously fascist attack against our democracy in history – and it goes on and on unabated and, in fact, is escalating.
Let’s never forget that Murdoch is a non-taxpaying, non-Australian who tossed his Australian citizenship in the garbage decades ago so that he could meet the American requirements of being an American citizen in order to get his world dominance of the American press to control public opinion (to his benefit) in the USA. The internationally-despised, power-obsessed megalomaniacal Murdoch dynasty – and their truly vile, self-entitled and callously inhumane sycophants – are the worst kind of undemocratic spinners of fake news, blatantly muzzling free speech, distorting facts and presenting a phoney parallel reality to serve themselves and the agenda of the bible-thumping hypocrites in the extreme right-wing conservative end of politics.
The fact that the LNP/Murdoch/IPA have staged non-stop attacks and venomous slurs against anyone and everyone who has the courage to stand up and speak out against Murdoch’s remorseless lies, self-serving hyperbole and tyrannical, draconian influence over the right-wing Murdoch whores in conservative governments in the UK, USA and, especially, the LNP in Australia, is beyond criminal!
Let’s not mince words: The Murdoch dynasty and their mates in Murdoch’s IPA owns the LNP lock, stock and two smoking barrels! They write the LNP agenda, compose the LNP’s elitist policies and dictate what these spineless, non-achieving lackeys in the Abbott/Turnbull/MorriScum chaotic circus say and do! The Murdoch-owned media – and their disciples in SkyNews, 2GB and free-to-air TV – are as guilty for what they do not report as for the type of propaganda they do! No mention of the LNP’s current national debt and deficit disaster of more than $700 billion after they screamed blue murder about the moderate $240 billion debt left behind by Rudd and Gillard! Not one mention about the LNP using taxpayer funds, in the middle of one of the worst droughts in our history, to fund the construction of private dams for the sole use of foreign-owned cronies of the LNP in the thirsty and unspeakably greedy cotton growing industry!
No mention of the non-stop, undeclared donations handed to them by the non-taxpaying billionaires who sit on the Board of the IPA, eg Rinehardt, Twiggy Forrest et al. No mention of the evil, politically-motivated defundment of Australian taxpayer-owned ABC and SBS where the LNP/IPA is constantly threatening the ABC with further defundment and privatisation (against the wishes and best interests of the huge majority of the Australian public) if the ABC does not “toe the conservative line”! No mention of the fact that ever since Abbott crawled into power on a stack of Murdoch-published lies, broken promises and slanderous campaigns (like the horrendously misogynistic Ditch the Witch campaign that went on for months on end against Julia Gillard), the LNP/Murdoch/IPA have embarked on a deliberate, undemocratic campaign to “stack” the ABC Board with a long line of LNP/Murdoch/IPA sycophants (like Janet Albrechsten, Ita Buttrose and many more) to garnish full control of what Australians will hear and see on our taxpayer-owned television station – the last bastion of media not fully controlled by Murdoch … Yet! No mention about how the LNP/IPA are stacking every panel with vile, self-entitled elitists peddling right-wing propaganda on every panel show, especially Q&A, with insignificant, repugnant grubs like James Patterson (also a member of the IPA), the awful serial liar Alan Jones and an array of other toxic conservatives.
If there is one thing the LNP/Murdoch/IPA Alliance know and follow to the letter is what the Nazi Propaganda Minister and Hitler espoused: “If you tell a lie often enough and with enough conviction, in the end, people will believe it” and, very clearly: “When you control everything people see and hear, you can control how they think!” The Alliance are masters of manipulation, proficient snake oil salesmen, pushing filth, slander and lies, distorting facts and omitting any form of news that will damage their own fascist agenda or expose their criminal level of corruption, economic mismanagement, environmental vandalism and ongoing self-serving rorting and waste of hard-earned taxpayer funds!
BRING BACK ESSENTIAL AND DEMOCRATIC MEDIA OWNERSHIP LAWS THAT WILL INHIBIT AND SILENCE THE BLATANT, ONGOING FASCISM OF THE LNP/MURDOCH/IPA ALLIANCE.
This law must be enshrined by the judiciary to ensure that it cannot be changed or rescinded by ruthless self-serving LNP governments in the future!
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20 comments
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john -
Mr Shevill Mathers -
RomeoCharlie29 -
New England Cocky -
Roswell -
Aortic -
John O"Callaghan -
Peter F -
totaram -
Aortic -
crypt0 -
Baby Jewels -
Kathryn -
DrakeN -
Andrew Smith -
Matters Not -
Phil -
guest -
Fred -
ajogrady
Return to home pageI hear you loud and clear Kathryn, but there’s no hope in hell now for any such law, until at least all these forces lose some other control, cause Parliament ain’t gonna help any more unless we change governements by a large majority. And that ain’t gonna happen while the media and information is controlled by the same people. So to put it mildly, unless we actually resist, we’re toast. Leave the country or lose your mine or stop worrying and learn to love them.
So true, and in recent times the actions of our various statutory bodies as well as the government who repeatedly claim that they stay at arms length from law enforcement, inquiries etc, ha ha, pull the other one, has brought to mind how what is happening in Australia also had similar beginnings in another country many years ago. Australia had the wonderful opportunity to build this country while being able to learn from the mistakes made by others, but sadly, we seem to be going down the wrong path-for some time. Have we seen Australia’s best years?
Well Kathryn thanks for not holding back. Maybe just a slight touch of hyperbole but the essence is correct. Our accidental government is indeed influenced by an unelected conservative claque of wealthy individuals, secretly funded think tanks, journalists and other media commentators and over all, the malign influence of the Murdoch’s. This concentration of conservative wealth and power needs to be challenged and constrained, even destroyed, but the only party which can do it, Labor is both too intimidated and, perhaps rightfully given events of the past, scared of the wrath it will bring down. Yet it must be done, somehow, because we are rapidly becoming a fascist state where our democratic freedoms are eroded, with Mr Potatohead leading the charge.
So, why are defenders of non-LNP values prevented from calling out LNP tactics for what they are; self-serving elitist grovellers to Big Money?
Really AIMN, change occurs in Australian politics because the incumbent LNP politicians are accurately represented to the Australian voters for what they are.
Kathryn, if you were a hammer I’d hate to be a nail.
Great piece Kathryn, but the question must surely be asked, even with all the right wing propaganda, thrown at us on a daily basis, why don’t people think for themselves and evaluate the efficacy of what’ is being promulgated? Are we too dumb, disinterested or does self interest over perceived potential taxing issues prevail? One thing is becoming clearer, unless Labor find someone to replace Albanese, the current mores will prevail.
I have never seen a more gutless mob of murdoch and conservative bum lickers in my life time than this Labor party,they have been on this äppeasement”tour for years and years and the more they suck up to Murdoch and the Libs the more spit and vile and contempt they receive from said opponents and a large section of their diminishing supporters.
Start calling these bastards our for what they are and use the Goebels\Nazi propaganda technique in reverse and show the people that you will stand up to the forces of evil and be willing to cop the crap they dish out \ ” and will dish out anyway so go for broke”… JUST DO IT FOR GODS SAKE and i guarantee that you will win the peoples respect and their votes.
@Aortic, I agree with you. However, the ALP DID have a leader, which is why Bill Shorten was attacked with all of the might and fury of the Murdock empire. Millions of ‘thinking’ Australians rely on Murdock for their understanding of what is happening in this country.
Just as Eric Abetz tried to get GetUp declared “an associated entity” of the Labor Party, why doesn’t Labor or the Greens (I think it has to be someone in Parliament) get the AEC to declare News Ltd and the IPA as “associated entities” of the coalition? That would be one way to limit their propaganda and activity, at least before an election. Also, all money spent by them would count as election expenses/donations.
Any thoughts or explanations?
Totoram I have long advocated for public funding of elections to negate the pernicious and insidious influence of lobbyists and donors ) Clive Palmer) et al but I presume until Aldi run out of bags and Murdoch runs out of print this will be anathema to both sides.
How does she do it !
https://browse.startpage.com/do/show_picture.pl?l=english&rais=1&oiu=https%3A%2F%2Ftasmaniantimes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F11%2Frupertmurdochjerryfallinsurf.jpg&sp=5d48e8b23d3344c7731e7de81d3aca00&t=default
I think we’re screwed. A perfectly good, free, decent country where everyone had a “go,” replaced by a corrupt, Fascist, Authoritarian and cruel government voted in by a dumbed down, greedy, lazy, uneducated, and thoroughly hoodwinked populace of haters. You wouldn’t read about it!
Totaram, I thoroughly agree with you …. the ultra-right-wing, self-serving Stink Tank aka the IPA and its creator, the Murdoch dynasty are MORE than “associate entities” of the LNP, they are the ones who established the LNP’s horrific, callously inhumane ideology, they are behind every policy the LNP make and they are the ones engineering the vile neoliberal, stone cold agenda of the most fascist government in our history. Fascism has strong roots in the LNP …. John Howard’s father, Lionel, was a steadfast committed member of the appalling fascist New Guard who failed in their constant attempts to bring down the democratically elected NSW State Lanor Premier, Jack Lang! Robert Menzies was often heard praising the “firm hand” Hitler had over his people in the early days of Nazi Germany, a dreadful opinion that even the Royal family of the day shared …. that is, until the day their “hero” decided to flex his fascist muscles and invade Poland! As usual, right-wing conservatives have zero foresight and not one iota of good judgement!
In response to “John”, sorry, there is NO WAY I would ever love these nefarious miscreants and I have no intention of leaving the country of my birth … that’s giving these f*wits in the LNP more credence and power than they deserve. By the time the next federal election rolls around and the LNP have just about destroyed, annihilated and defunded everything we valued and loved about this once great nation, hopefully the majority of Australians will rise out of their apathetic slumber, wake up and kick the conservative mongrels in the LNP/IPA/Murdoch Alliance so far down the sewer, it will take divine power to resurrect them again. Wishful thinking? Remember, the so-called Warrior of the Right-wing, the vile John Howard, ended up becoming so on-the-nose, he lost his own electoral seat in Bennelong! That was one of the happiest days in our political history and proof that when push comes to shove, sometimes even Murdoch’s raging, totally biased propaganda is not enough to prevent the rising tide of disgruntled resentment felt by intellectual Australians who have had a gut full of the type of totalitarian, authorative dictatorship that conservative government prefer!
Baby Jewels @ 2:09 pm
We did not know then just how much we were being screwed over in “them thar days”.
People really have not changed their behaviours to any great degree.
Circumstances have changed greatly and the spread of information and disinformation has become ubiquitous, but a little research into the living conditions of the average working family of the relatively recent past would disabuse you of any concept of there ever having been a kind of ‘golden era’.
News media is viewed now as entertainment, as described by Murdoch at Leveson Inquiry in the UK, and those who disengage or avoid; political PR, media and communications strategy mostly caters or appeals to older cohorts via traditional media.
As MacLean ‘Democracy in Chains’, Mayer ‘Dark Money’ and Curtis ‘Century of the Self’ have suggested that manipulative PR techniques including think tanks, academia, focus groups, repetition, omission of salient facts and a media production line have been supported by radical right libertarian and/or corporatist ideology with ‘architecture’ used in a long game to entrench favourable policies and govts..
While both Labor and the LNP share similar values, plus a mostly mono-cultural Anglo Irish (male) profile that looks up to UK/US, with fear of NewsCorp and now 9Fairfax, they will not upset the status quo.
Solution? Wait for age and cultural demographics to balance out, US/UK to decline further in global influence and traditional media to fade away.. Meanwhile political journalists etc. could stop being chummy with MPs and start asking serious policy questions with e.g. how, why, context or background, and repeat, often (with critical thinking and media analysis returned to education curricula).
How to reel back in the media oligarchy that Howard, and others, were central in creating to mostly aid Murdoch? A start would be NGOs, decent journalists and media related groups to highlight how many nations would not allow the same to happen, e.g. the EU (Telstra, banks etc. would also be scrutinised). Where is Australia now on media freedom?
Re:
How? Is such a principle desirable? Does it require constitutional change? What implications are there for the Separation of Powers concept? So many questions.
Please explain.
There will no change in the media laws they’re not going to commit political suicide. However there will be new laws soon ref the Indue card that will soon be rolled out to the pensioners and other waifs and strays. The police have already been given license to bash up old age pensioners , not to mention strip searching young girls for drugs, but it is not the drugs they’re looking for is it? . We have a lawyer in Victoria who was on the police pay role for years and on it goes and on it goes. We are not headed for fascism we are here. But wait we have Albo and a team of civil rights warriors in the opposition. Change the laws Bwahahahahahahaa You jest.
Concerning Rupert Murdoch:
“Rupert Murdoch is not fit to run a major international company, British lawmakers said on Tuesday, finding him ultimately responsible for the illegal phone hacking that has corroded his global media empire and damaged the political establishment.”
Reuters, May 1, 2012
“The Australian has conducted a prolonged and intellectually incoherent campaign against action on climate change, which has undermined the hold in public life of the central values of the Enlightenment, Science and Reason…
It has sought systematically to undermine the credibility of its only broadsheet rivals – the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age – and, in a relentless campaign, to intimidate and drive towards the Right the only other mainstream source of analysis and opinion in this country, the ABC.”
Robert Manne, “Bad News”, Quarterly Essay #43, 2011, p.113
Nick Cater attempts a reply:
“Good economic policy is simply policy that works, which is why mainstream economic liberalism has set the course not only for the Australian but for every Australian prime minister…, every US president and every British prime minister for thirty years or more.”
QE #44, p. 97, 2011.
And it is going so well, Nick.
Another book is David McKnight’s “Rupert Murdoch: An investigation of Political Power”.
And there are others.
Watching Sky News feels reminiscent of the salivating, festering, fervour of the Nazi’s of the late 1930’s.The SS team is spectacularly confident at the moment. Balance is their game? Led by Jones and Credlin,Dean,Bolt,Jane Marwick,Kenny,Panahi,Smith,Murray and their little flower Daisy.Watch out for their new gun Liz Storer of Advance Australia Group. Scary stuff.
Because News Limited is so totally biased toward the L/NP any business that chooses to pay to advertise in any News Limited entity should have that payment considered a donation to the L/NP and therefore a political donation and taxed as such rather then a business expense.