It chased me all last week and even into this week. I just wanted to enjoy my last few weeks up here at Noosa but there it was, right in front of my face the whole time. Of course it needs no introduction. The Gillard-Rudd 'stoush'.
Given the unrelenting coverage and my two posts last week, thought I might as well do a follow-up seeing it is meant to have come to an end on Monday morning. That remains to be seen but surely 95% of the population are glad its over, let alone actual Labor caucas members and their minders.
I am still a little damp from the saturation coverage. Drying off slowly but it was a real drenching so it's taking a while to get there. Now I know the 'spill' was to elect our PM (won't say highest office in the land because it's not - I have republican issues), but the media coverage was way over the top on Monday morning. It was a big issue for sure, but six hour 'special editions' on every channel with some starting at 5am was a bit too much. Particularly as we already knew what the result would be so it all went around in circles and merely rehashed things we were already aware of.
The media's role in the whole fiasco must be further evaluated as well. Some press gallery members had been typing up weekly, sometimes bi-weekly, stories on 'leadership speculation' that hounded Gillard and the Government for more than a year. And the end result of Monday's spill goes to show they were blind to the truth and more interested in rumour and innuendo than hard facts and hard numbers. I mean, if I see the phrase "sources close to..." again I'm going to spew. Lazy journalism which turned the whole issue into a game of 'he-said-she-said'.
What has been revealed about the media's role is that one K Rudd (his choice of words, not mine) was actually 'backgrounding' members of the press and providing a lot of the fodder for those journalists and their articles. Backgrounding is an interesting term, as it seems that one K Rudd was more into bagging than backgrounding and used the media to promote his strategy platform of a messiah returning to save the day.
The whole sorry circus, that went on for months and months, was all for nothing in the end. All the media space. All the media attention. The rumours. the speculation. The 'backgrounding'. It all came to nought. Someone owes us our year back. Particularly as there's probably been some real issues to debate and some real policy to discuss that have slipped through while the media and the politicians were preoccupied.
Yeah, thanks guys. And what a choice we are left with. One party that is good on policy but stinks on the politics (Labor). While the other is good on the politics but stinks on policy (Coalition). Hopefully 'good policy' will end up being 'good politics'. Certainly that's what Labor is hoping for.
As to the players, the eventual numbers were a good result for Julia and her supporters. She's got one hell of a task to bring it all together again though and probably only has 6-10 months before another challenger may rise. But I'm sure she appreciates having some breathing space to just get on with the job and not have to answer any more leadership speculation questions at every press conference.
One K Rudd. Well, he did seem pretty genuine in his assertion that he'll be happy to serve on the backbench and not challenge again. I have my doubts though and reckon he must be scheming up something else. Not another challenge mind you. Just something else to occupy his very busy mind. To go from criss-crossing the globe and hop-knobbing with Presidents and PM's to door-knocking the hot and humid streets of Brisbane's inner east (Griffith electorate) is quite a stepdown.
Now call me crazy, but here's a suggestion anyway. What if Rudd serves his current term on the backbench (roughly 18 months) before announcing his resignation before the next election. He then seeks a seat in the Queensland Parliament via a by-election or something and takes over the Labor leadership following Bligh's departure. The next State Election in three years time would then be a Newman vs one K Rudd contest that would be one for the ages given Rudd's popularity in Queensland and the likelihood that the LNP may have a few slipups in it's first term in Government in over 14 years.
You heard it here first folks. There may be a reason for that. Such as it's improbable and unlikely. But hey, let's just see all it all pans out.
Regarding Federal politics over the next 18 months, a lot of people are saying Labor is dead and that Abbott might as well take the keys to The Lodge already. To that I have to say that a lot can happen in politics over the course of that time and who knows what will happen. Just ask Mitt Romney. It was merely a few weeks ago people were assuming he was the shoe-in for the Republican nomination. Now look at what has happened.
Yes, a week is a long time in politics let alone 18 months. John Howard myself was often way behind in the polls over the course of a term but would come out on top when the only poll that matters took place. I'm certainly not saying Labor for the next election. I'm just saying there's plenty of time for a reversal of fortune and given my last post, I'm not even sure Abbott will contest the next election as the Leader of the Opposition.
Time will tell ladies and gentlemen. But it can surely wait for a while can't it? I'm over it all and just want the footy season to come back in a hurry. The other game of winners and losers.
EDM.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Ears Still Ouching But Wondering What's Next?
Wow. And there I was thinking this blog didn't have much of a readership. In quantity I mean. Not quality. You are all lovely people I'm sure. Or that just friends and family read it and took note of any of my musing and rantings. Oh, but how I was wrong obviously.
You see, a mere day after I wrote my last post calling for the Gillard-Rudd stoush to be bought to an end, Kevvie (I can call him that now that I know he reads Nah Seriously) calls a late night press conference to inform us all that he's quitting the Foreign Ministership and returning home for a ballot to decide it for once and for all.
I had no idea he was regular reader of Nah Seriously but he must be hey? To have taken my concerns on board so readily and to have been inspired into such action. I'm humbled folks. Truly humbled. About as humbled as one can be.
Much like Kevvie I guess. Because he has done the truly humble thing by resigning due to 'not having the support of the PM anymore'. Yes, he's done the honourable thing. For the PM. For the party. For the country. Apparently.
One thing though. I can't help this nagging thought that perhaps he hasn't gone down this path for honourable reasons only. Just maybe it's all about him. Still riled by the way his PMship finished up, he's quietly been calculating and strategising on destablising the Government to the point that he now looks like the only one who is electable. Even though it might be him and his other colleagues that have destablished things to the point that the polls are this bad for Labour.
Will the real Kevvie please stand up? Now that we know you read Nah Seriously, maybe just leave a comment at the bottom of this post. You know, with all the details and some honesty about your intentions. My readers would love it I can assure you. Carn, be a man of the Nah Seriously people.
As to Julia, it was always going to be a tough gig being the first female PM of this country and coming into it from a position that looked a little shaky ie. the kniving of a serving and elected PM. Whether she was plotting in the days before Rudd was turfed, I don't really care. Politics is a dirty business and I think people have forgotten just how bad Rudd was going at the time.
I don't just mean the polls. I mean more along the lines of the way his Government was governing. Or lack thereof. Obviously I wasn't privy to the inner workings of the inner sanctrum, but it did appear that his Govt, or more precisely his Office, was paralysed in fear of focus group opinions and unduly worried about the media cycle. They seemed pretty spooked by things they didn't need to and gave up on some important policy principles (ETS) just because the polls went south for a bit.
I therefore think Julia did step in and try to steer the ship on a more appropriate course and she's tried pretty hard at doing that. I'm not naive to think she did it for purely altruistic reasons mind you. Of course she got to be PM as well which must have been the realisation of a lifetime dream.
Alas, I think she's copped undue criticism over the course of her PMship and reckon she has been unfairly treated by some very powerful sections of the media. She has her faults for sure. Most notably not being able to 'sell' policy but also in not acting more strongly to quell internal dissent.
But the life of a minority Govt is not easy and in reality anyone in her position of having to regularly compromise to ensure delivery of legislation/reform would have had similar issues in regards to perceived performance and associated polling. Mind you, she certainly hasn't been helped by some of her own staffers and supporters' actions though. Like some pretty idiotic leaks and statements and the very recent youtube video.
So where does that leave us? Well, it sounds like we'll get some sort of result on Monday. Although I don't think it'll end there I'm afraid. Even if Rudd loses, which the numbers indicate, he'll probably do a Keating and bide his time on the backbench until he challenges again in a few short months. All the while hoping that his fellow MPs forget just how badly he treated them last time he was PM.
One thing that does look very likely though, is that Labour will not be in Govt after the next election. I've been telling the wife since the last election and all the wrangling that went on to get the Independent's support, that whoever got it, and therefore won Govt, that they would not win the next election. A minority Govt just throws up too many curveballs and in the end it almost always looks indecisive and unworkable. So since that very time, it's looked more and more likely that a Coalition Govt will roll on in next and return to the comfy benches.
But will it be Abbott? My god, I hope not. Regardless of my hopes, I don't think he'll be the next Coalition PM anyway. While no doubt he has plenty of supporters, he's too risky for a big section of the electorate and could be considered a liability come election time. He's definitely playing the right game at the moment in just letting Labour destroy itself but in the pursuit of power, I reckon the Coalition will want a safer bet.
Come on down Malcolm Turnbull. Yes, my very limited crystal ball has Turnbull as PM come the next election. I know many within the Coalition don't like him, and he did fail to forsee rumblings against him last time, but I think he is a far safer bet than Abbott as he can actually take votes from Labour and turn a lot of traditional Labour voters who are sick of the current leadership game and internal struggles. It would be a mighty comeback for the man, and some might ask what I have been smoking, but surely the Coalition and its supporters see a move to the centre being the best bet rather than any further move to the right under Abbott.
So you read it here first folks. Turnbull to be PM. Well actually, there's quite a few people who've been saying the same so I can't claim its me and my crystal ball only. In fact, Centrebet has Turnbull at shorter odds of being PM than Abbott so there must be some very wise people at Centrebet for agreeing so wholeheartedly with me.
But anyway, it's a real sausage factory at the moment in Federal politics and who knows what the coming days bring, let alone coming months and years. The noise is still ouching my ears but I find myself drawn to it all nonetheless. I don't want to. I'd rather just enjoy my last few weeks here in paradise on the Sunny Coast. But hey, what's a poor boy to do?
EDM.
You see, a mere day after I wrote my last post calling for the Gillard-Rudd stoush to be bought to an end, Kevvie (I can call him that now that I know he reads Nah Seriously) calls a late night press conference to inform us all that he's quitting the Foreign Ministership and returning home for a ballot to decide it for once and for all.
I had no idea he was regular reader of Nah Seriously but he must be hey? To have taken my concerns on board so readily and to have been inspired into such action. I'm humbled folks. Truly humbled. About as humbled as one can be.
Much like Kevvie I guess. Because he has done the truly humble thing by resigning due to 'not having the support of the PM anymore'. Yes, he's done the honourable thing. For the PM. For the party. For the country. Apparently.
One thing though. I can't help this nagging thought that perhaps he hasn't gone down this path for honourable reasons only. Just maybe it's all about him. Still riled by the way his PMship finished up, he's quietly been calculating and strategising on destablising the Government to the point that he now looks like the only one who is electable. Even though it might be him and his other colleagues that have destablished things to the point that the polls are this bad for Labour.
Will the real Kevvie please stand up? Now that we know you read Nah Seriously, maybe just leave a comment at the bottom of this post. You know, with all the details and some honesty about your intentions. My readers would love it I can assure you. Carn, be a man of the Nah Seriously people.
As to Julia, it was always going to be a tough gig being the first female PM of this country and coming into it from a position that looked a little shaky ie. the kniving of a serving and elected PM. Whether she was plotting in the days before Rudd was turfed, I don't really care. Politics is a dirty business and I think people have forgotten just how bad Rudd was going at the time.
I don't just mean the polls. I mean more along the lines of the way his Government was governing. Or lack thereof. Obviously I wasn't privy to the inner workings of the inner sanctrum, but it did appear that his Govt, or more precisely his Office, was paralysed in fear of focus group opinions and unduly worried about the media cycle. They seemed pretty spooked by things they didn't need to and gave up on some important policy principles (ETS) just because the polls went south for a bit.
I therefore think Julia did step in and try to steer the ship on a more appropriate course and she's tried pretty hard at doing that. I'm not naive to think she did it for purely altruistic reasons mind you. Of course she got to be PM as well which must have been the realisation of a lifetime dream.
Alas, I think she's copped undue criticism over the course of her PMship and reckon she has been unfairly treated by some very powerful sections of the media. She has her faults for sure. Most notably not being able to 'sell' policy but also in not acting more strongly to quell internal dissent.
But the life of a minority Govt is not easy and in reality anyone in her position of having to regularly compromise to ensure delivery of legislation/reform would have had similar issues in regards to perceived performance and associated polling. Mind you, she certainly hasn't been helped by some of her own staffers and supporters' actions though. Like some pretty idiotic leaks and statements and the very recent youtube video.
So where does that leave us? Well, it sounds like we'll get some sort of result on Monday. Although I don't think it'll end there I'm afraid. Even if Rudd loses, which the numbers indicate, he'll probably do a Keating and bide his time on the backbench until he challenges again in a few short months. All the while hoping that his fellow MPs forget just how badly he treated them last time he was PM.
One thing that does look very likely though, is that Labour will not be in Govt after the next election. I've been telling the wife since the last election and all the wrangling that went on to get the Independent's support, that whoever got it, and therefore won Govt, that they would not win the next election. A minority Govt just throws up too many curveballs and in the end it almost always looks indecisive and unworkable. So since that very time, it's looked more and more likely that a Coalition Govt will roll on in next and return to the comfy benches.
But will it be Abbott? My god, I hope not. Regardless of my hopes, I don't think he'll be the next Coalition PM anyway. While no doubt he has plenty of supporters, he's too risky for a big section of the electorate and could be considered a liability come election time. He's definitely playing the right game at the moment in just letting Labour destroy itself but in the pursuit of power, I reckon the Coalition will want a safer bet.
Come on down Malcolm Turnbull. Yes, my very limited crystal ball has Turnbull as PM come the next election. I know many within the Coalition don't like him, and he did fail to forsee rumblings against him last time, but I think he is a far safer bet than Abbott as he can actually take votes from Labour and turn a lot of traditional Labour voters who are sick of the current leadership game and internal struggles. It would be a mighty comeback for the man, and some might ask what I have been smoking, but surely the Coalition and its supporters see a move to the centre being the best bet rather than any further move to the right under Abbott.
So you read it here first folks. Turnbull to be PM. Well actually, there's quite a few people who've been saying the same so I can't claim its me and my crystal ball only. In fact, Centrebet has Turnbull at shorter odds of being PM than Abbott so there must be some very wise people at Centrebet for agreeing so wholeheartedly with me.
But anyway, it's a real sausage factory at the moment in Federal politics and who knows what the coming days bring, let alone coming months and years. The noise is still ouching my ears but I find myself drawn to it all nonetheless. I don't want to. I'd rather just enjoy my last few weeks here in paradise on the Sunny Coast. But hey, what's a poor boy to do?
EDM.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
All This Noise Is Ouching My Ears
Regular readers will be aware of my thoughts on political staffers. For others, here's a post from last year that may give you an idea. If it's not completely clear, the post is a little piece of satire. Well, an attempt at satire anyway. I'll let you guys be the judge.
Now, I may come across a wee bit cynical but it comes from working with plenty of them in my job. Not the daddy day care job I have right now. The 'real life' job that I will be returning to in the next month or so. I therefore feel I have a right to pass comment on their role and day-to-day activities because I've butted heads with them plenty of times and have seen both the good and the bad.
Which brings me to today's blog post which is all about the so-called Federal Labour stoush going on between PM Gillard and former PM Rudd. I say 'so-called' because I do wonder how much of a stoush it really is. The media are certainly running with it ad nauseum but as of a week ago I would have said it was mainly a beatup being perpetuated by 'groupthink' amongst the Canberra press gallery.
That line of thinking has been tampered somewhat though by the anonymous release of a video on youtube showing Rudd in a expletive-ridden rant. The rumour mill has it that it's the work of Gillard's staffers or at least someone sympathetic to her cause in an attempt to discredit Rudd.
It's gone pear-shaped though as it may actually paint Rudd as 'human' for once and engender support for him as opposed to against him. It has also given the media plenty of ammunition for their 'stoush' coverage and once again forced the PM to answer all sorts of questions about her leadership and loyalty among her MPs. And some of those MPs airing dirty laundry with their thoughts on either Gillard or Rudd has made things all the more worse for the Government.
The whole sorry saga is an absolute mess and takes a lot of attention away from what is a pretty solid Government that is delivering real reform. While many said a minority Government couldn't work, this Government has delivered just short of 200 pieces of legislation thus far, all in an atmosphere of constant debate and compromise and with no support whatsoever from the other side of the chamber. A hostile environment it has been, but this hasn't stopped the Government from getting on and governing.
The thing is, the majority of voters would have no idea of this and based on what they read in the papers and see on the news, you couldn't blame them for having the perspective that the Government is constantly in crisis. And it's certainly not a case of the Opposition landing any blows. Far from it in fact. Abbott's approval has actually gone down recently and the whole shadow frontbench has performed very poorly in these first few weeks of Parliament with contradicting statements and fluffed lines aplenty.
No, it is a case of Labour kicking own goal after own goal with infighting and 'staffer' wars continually promoting and perpetuating the Gillard-Rudd 'stoush'. So it's particularly galling to see that the Government's problems are their own fault and they are merely playing up to and encouraging the media beatup and unflinching focus.
From my experience, political staffers seem to need crises to justify their position and existence. I've seen it plenty of times where a contrived panic is created by them to 'get a result' quickly and instructions for briefs and co are hurriedly fired off.
Such briefs are then prepared against some crazy deadline and the end result is one without all the information or one that has rushed with no time for proper reflection for the proper advice. And then usually that brief is sent up to the staffer with all manner of urgency, only to sit in an email inbox or intray and not be read for quite some time or even not at all. Frustrating to say the least.
So it doesn't suprise me that certain staffers in the Gillard-Rudd camps are blindsided by the so-called 'stoush' and need this crisis to justify their existence and basically give them something to do. But I just wish these guys could actually realise what damage they are doing to not only their bosses, but to the Government, and by extension the country, as a whole. They need some perspective in a hurry and to just stop the tit-for-tat games and baseless innuendo.
I'm bloody sick of it all and I'm actually a bit of a political animal that loves the cut and thrust of the politics game. God help the other 90% of the population who couldn't give a shite and just see the media coverage and representations as some kind of window to reality and example of what really is going on.
Please, please, please. Can it all be stopped sooner rather than later so we can get back to the real issues in this country. All the 'noise' is ouching my ears.
EDM.
Now, I may come across a wee bit cynical but it comes from working with plenty of them in my job. Not the daddy day care job I have right now. The 'real life' job that I will be returning to in the next month or so. I therefore feel I have a right to pass comment on their role and day-to-day activities because I've butted heads with them plenty of times and have seen both the good and the bad.
Which brings me to today's blog post which is all about the so-called Federal Labour stoush going on between PM Gillard and former PM Rudd. I say 'so-called' because I do wonder how much of a stoush it really is. The media are certainly running with it ad nauseum but as of a week ago I would have said it was mainly a beatup being perpetuated by 'groupthink' amongst the Canberra press gallery.
That line of thinking has been tampered somewhat though by the anonymous release of a video on youtube showing Rudd in a expletive-ridden rant. The rumour mill has it that it's the work of Gillard's staffers or at least someone sympathetic to her cause in an attempt to discredit Rudd.
It's gone pear-shaped though as it may actually paint Rudd as 'human' for once and engender support for him as opposed to against him. It has also given the media plenty of ammunition for their 'stoush' coverage and once again forced the PM to answer all sorts of questions about her leadership and loyalty among her MPs. And some of those MPs airing dirty laundry with their thoughts on either Gillard or Rudd has made things all the more worse for the Government.
The whole sorry saga is an absolute mess and takes a lot of attention away from what is a pretty solid Government that is delivering real reform. While many said a minority Government couldn't work, this Government has delivered just short of 200 pieces of legislation thus far, all in an atmosphere of constant debate and compromise and with no support whatsoever from the other side of the chamber. A hostile environment it has been, but this hasn't stopped the Government from getting on and governing.
The thing is, the majority of voters would have no idea of this and based on what they read in the papers and see on the news, you couldn't blame them for having the perspective that the Government is constantly in crisis. And it's certainly not a case of the Opposition landing any blows. Far from it in fact. Abbott's approval has actually gone down recently and the whole shadow frontbench has performed very poorly in these first few weeks of Parliament with contradicting statements and fluffed lines aplenty.
No, it is a case of Labour kicking own goal after own goal with infighting and 'staffer' wars continually promoting and perpetuating the Gillard-Rudd 'stoush'. So it's particularly galling to see that the Government's problems are their own fault and they are merely playing up to and encouraging the media beatup and unflinching focus.
From my experience, political staffers seem to need crises to justify their position and existence. I've seen it plenty of times where a contrived panic is created by them to 'get a result' quickly and instructions for briefs and co are hurriedly fired off.
Such briefs are then prepared against some crazy deadline and the end result is one without all the information or one that has rushed with no time for proper reflection for the proper advice. And then usually that brief is sent up to the staffer with all manner of urgency, only to sit in an email inbox or intray and not be read for quite some time or even not at all. Frustrating to say the least.
So it doesn't suprise me that certain staffers in the Gillard-Rudd camps are blindsided by the so-called 'stoush' and need this crisis to justify their existence and basically give them something to do. But I just wish these guys could actually realise what damage they are doing to not only their bosses, but to the Government, and by extension the country, as a whole. They need some perspective in a hurry and to just stop the tit-for-tat games and baseless innuendo.
I'm bloody sick of it all and I'm actually a bit of a political animal that loves the cut and thrust of the politics game. God help the other 90% of the population who couldn't give a shite and just see the media coverage and representations as some kind of window to reality and example of what really is going on.
Please, please, please. Can it all be stopped sooner rather than later so we can get back to the real issues in this country. All the 'noise' is ouching my ears.
EDM.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Season Eve Optimism
Can you smell it in the air? No? Try again. Raise your nose up a little higher and let out a big sniff. Can you smell it now?
It's that time of the year again when the fragrance of optimism and feelings of hope are abundant. It's in the air. It's in our hearts. It's in the forefront of our minds. Although the back of my minds may have something else to say about it.
Yes, Season Eve Optimism is a wonderful thing. Before any footy has been kicked in anger and the new jerseys are still at the manufacturers. Before new haircuts on old players have been seen and commentary teams are still working on name pronunciations.
You can dream of the year ahead for your beloved team. Will it be Premiers? Finalists? A Brownlow? A Dally M? A Rising Star?
It all seems possible in the hurly burly of February as speculation mounts higher and higher and the excitement grows to a fever pitch. Before the winter sets in around May anyway, and realism comes back to bite you and your team on the bum.
But May is a long way away at this time. It's Season Eve and what a special time of the year it is. The cricket season is getting on for a bit too long and a new inspiration (and challenge) awaits. It seems like an eternity since last winter and the bouncing pigskin being at the forefront of everything. Your withdrawal is great. There's only one cure.
Amongst it all, the papers are running with stories of certain blokes 'burning it up on the track' and others that have 'recovered strongly from last year's knee or shoulder or back'. Clubs are in the middle of membership drives and emails start flowing in for fantasy footy leagues and tipping comps. Not too mention the fact your local footy oval has come to life with the noise of circle work and 220 sprints.
The hope is strong. Excitement abounds. Will this be 'our' year you keep asking that voice in your head? 'Surely yes'. The footy gods can't be that cruel for you to go without for another.
But then that voice sparks up again with a nasty dose of doubt and negativity. 'Of course they can'. You've been hurt way too many times before. It's the same conversation you have with that voice this time every year.
Alas, optimism wins over and you can't help but be hopeful. Positive and bouyant. Encouraged and confident. 'Bring it on' you say. 'Let the games begin and may the best (my) team win'.
Happy Season Eve everybody.
EDM.
It's that time of the year again when the fragrance of optimism and feelings of hope are abundant. It's in the air. It's in our hearts. It's in the forefront of our minds. Although the back of my minds may have something else to say about it.
Yes, Season Eve Optimism is a wonderful thing. Before any footy has been kicked in anger and the new jerseys are still at the manufacturers. Before new haircuts on old players have been seen and commentary teams are still working on name pronunciations.
You can dream of the year ahead for your beloved team. Will it be Premiers? Finalists? A Brownlow? A Dally M? A Rising Star?
It all seems possible in the hurly burly of February as speculation mounts higher and higher and the excitement grows to a fever pitch. Before the winter sets in around May anyway, and realism comes back to bite you and your team on the bum.
But May is a long way away at this time. It's Season Eve and what a special time of the year it is. The cricket season is getting on for a bit too long and a new inspiration (and challenge) awaits. It seems like an eternity since last winter and the bouncing pigskin being at the forefront of everything. Your withdrawal is great. There's only one cure.
Amongst it all, the papers are running with stories of certain blokes 'burning it up on the track' and others that have 'recovered strongly from last year's knee or shoulder or back'. Clubs are in the middle of membership drives and emails start flowing in for fantasy footy leagues and tipping comps. Not too mention the fact your local footy oval has come to life with the noise of circle work and 220 sprints.
The hope is strong. Excitement abounds. Will this be 'our' year you keep asking that voice in your head? 'Surely yes'. The footy gods can't be that cruel for you to go without for another.
But then that voice sparks up again with a nasty dose of doubt and negativity. 'Of course they can'. You've been hurt way too many times before. It's the same conversation you have with that voice this time every year.
Alas, optimism wins over and you can't help but be hopeful. Positive and bouyant. Encouraged and confident. 'Bring it on' you say. 'Let the games begin and may the best (my) team win'.
Happy Season Eve everybody.
EDM.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
EDM's Reluctant Homecoming
Real life really sucks sometimes. You know, reality and all it's trappings.
Or more like the trappings we put around own necks in the pursuit of status and material goods. Mortgages/loans and the jobs we endure to pay for them. And then the things we do to keep those jobs in the name of financial and employment security. 'For our future happiness' we tell ourselves. 'For our kids'.
Well, I'm pretty down on real life right now because it means this little adventure on the Sunny Coast for EDM and family is coming to an end. As regular visitors to this blog would be aware, the wife and I have been agonising over a decision to either stay and relocate on a permanent basis or go back to Brisbane. Back to our old lives.
It's all come to a head in the last week or so and the clock was starting to count down. Decision time was upon us and I'm sad to report that we will have to leave our sea/tree change lives and return to the big(ish) smoke in Old Brisbane Town.
The lease runs out here on 13 March so we'll be back around then with me returning to my old job around a week later. The wife to find a new job herself while inquiries are being made regarding the son returning to his old daycare (not Daddy Daycare I'm afraid).
Oh, the pain. The pain. It's heartbreaking typing those sentences out. Especially after just going for an early morning surf at Noosa West before meeting the wife and son for a play on the beach. And that's before a walk around the National Park planned for this afternoon and probably a drink at the Surf Club or fish n chips at First Point. Paradise.
Why are we leaving then? Well, it comes down to my work and the need to pay off mortgages and the like. Not too mention the odd trip to IVF Land that we are currently experiencing on a regular basis. And very expensive trips they are.
Yes, my current job and all the experience and qualifications I have built up are quite Brisbane-centric I'm afraid. Capital city centric anyway. Finding employment in something similar up here on the Sunshine Coast appears to be quite impossible. And it looks like there is even less chance of me being able to find a job that would pay as well as my current one in the City.
So back to the big smoke it is. But with great reluctance. Being pulled kicking and screaming by the financial and job security gods. Oh, what fickle and controlling beasts they are.
All is not lost yet though. Our dream remains to move up here again and hopefully for a much longer term. However, I'm not going to make any promises around timeframes seeing how much life can change in a mere few months, let alone years.
Especially around the irony where the one thing we want the most - the wife falling pregnant and having our second child - could be the thing that keeps us in Brisbane for years to come and inhibits our dream of returning to the coast and living a simpler life.
Who knows. Because life can certainly throw up some curveballs from time to time and make all sorts of intentions null and void. We know where we're going for the next six months anyway, and it's a homecoming to Brisbane and our friends and family. It is a reluctant return, but looking mighty forward to catching up with them all in both quantity and quality over the coming months.
Now, it's nearly time for that walk though. Better get them shoes on soon and grab the son. Just wondering what beer I'll have when we finish up at the Surf Club.
Life's pretty tough sometimes.
EDM.
Or more like the trappings we put around own necks in the pursuit of status and material goods. Mortgages/loans and the jobs we endure to pay for them. And then the things we do to keep those jobs in the name of financial and employment security. 'For our future happiness' we tell ourselves. 'For our kids'.
Well, I'm pretty down on real life right now because it means this little adventure on the Sunny Coast for EDM and family is coming to an end. As regular visitors to this blog would be aware, the wife and I have been agonising over a decision to either stay and relocate on a permanent basis or go back to Brisbane. Back to our old lives.
It's all come to a head in the last week or so and the clock was starting to count down. Decision time was upon us and I'm sad to report that we will have to leave our sea/tree change lives and return to the big(ish) smoke in Old Brisbane Town.
The lease runs out here on 13 March so we'll be back around then with me returning to my old job around a week later. The wife to find a new job herself while inquiries are being made regarding the son returning to his old daycare (not Daddy Daycare I'm afraid).
Oh, the pain. The pain. It's heartbreaking typing those sentences out. Especially after just going for an early morning surf at Noosa West before meeting the wife and son for a play on the beach. And that's before a walk around the National Park planned for this afternoon and probably a drink at the Surf Club or fish n chips at First Point. Paradise.
Why are we leaving then? Well, it comes down to my work and the need to pay off mortgages and the like. Not too mention the odd trip to IVF Land that we are currently experiencing on a regular basis. And very expensive trips they are.
Yes, my current job and all the experience and qualifications I have built up are quite Brisbane-centric I'm afraid. Capital city centric anyway. Finding employment in something similar up here on the Sunshine Coast appears to be quite impossible. And it looks like there is even less chance of me being able to find a job that would pay as well as my current one in the City.
So back to the big smoke it is. But with great reluctance. Being pulled kicking and screaming by the financial and job security gods. Oh, what fickle and controlling beasts they are.
All is not lost yet though. Our dream remains to move up here again and hopefully for a much longer term. However, I'm not going to make any promises around timeframes seeing how much life can change in a mere few months, let alone years.
Especially around the irony where the one thing we want the most - the wife falling pregnant and having our second child - could be the thing that keeps us in Brisbane for years to come and inhibits our dream of returning to the coast and living a simpler life.
Who knows. Because life can certainly throw up some curveballs from time to time and make all sorts of intentions null and void. We know where we're going for the next six months anyway, and it's a homecoming to Brisbane and our friends and family. It is a reluctant return, but looking mighty forward to catching up with them all in both quantity and quality over the coming months.
Now, it's nearly time for that walk though. Better get them shoes on soon and grab the son. Just wondering what beer I'll have when we finish up at the Surf Club.
Life's pretty tough sometimes.
EDM.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Playing Catch Up
If you've been following the sports media over the last few days, you must be aware of the controversy around Optus winning a Federal Court appeal to allow them to broadcast free-to-air programming on delay for free on their TV Now service which can be accessed by mobile devices such as phones, iPads and the like.
If you've missed it, here's a link. And another.
So basically, we've got a situation where Optus can offer, to the minute almost, the broadcasting of sports such as AFL and NRL without having to pay anything for the rights. While someone like Telstra, who has negotiated and paid for exclusive rights in the millions of dollars, has no recourse.
Now, I'm no big supporter of our largest Telco, Telstra, on a purely customer service basis, but on natural justice grounds you'd have to say this scenairo is unfair on them as well as the big sporting codes which have now seen the value of their product diminished dramatically. At least in a broadcasting sense.
You can't really blame the Federal Court though for their decision as they were merely following the letter of the law. The thing is, the letter of the law is somewhat out of date having been written in 2006 and has simply not kept up with the technology that is advancing and changing so quickly.
Telstra, the AFL and the NRL are of course appealing the Federal Court decision which they must in the circumstances. I've just read also that they've already met with the Prime Minister today and will be lobbying the Federal Government hard in an attempt to amend the copyright legislation to protect their 'rights' and product.
Because the whole system of selling broadcasting rights is at risk and both codes could be up for losing millions of dollars in their next deals if no-one is willing to pay for them anymore. Or more likely, not pay as much. Lucky the AFL just signed theirs but unlucky for the NRL and Cricket Australia who are just about to begin negotiations.
Optus are claiming that the decision is a win for customers and by extension, fans of the footy codes. As well they might. The thing is, they won't be offering their service for free to fans, you can be sure of that. They'll be charging for something they are getting for free so let's take their version of events and musings about 'doing it for the people' with a hefty grain of salt.
However, the technology is currently available and Optus, in advancing this issue, has merely acted within the law and to enforce their 'rights' under the current regulations. Just another case of a traditional business model being challenged by the realities of new media and the like.
So as a big sports fan who is prone to the odd couch potato moment during the footy season, I've found this whole issue absolutely fascinating. The law of the land and our sense of how things have always been done, quickly being made redundant by the rapid advance of technology and media.
The lawmakers just can't keep up with it all and it raises all sorts of questions about how we, the consumers, will be consuming the product that is sports broadcasting in the future. Not too mention the way broadcasting rights are regulated as well as copyright and intellectual property.
I certainly don't have the answers and I don't think anyone really does. Well, not in a comprehensive and long-term way anyway. My guess is that the laws will be rewritten and then made redundant again in just a few short years by further advancing technology. That cycle will probably just keep going on and on. An eternal game of 'playing catch up'.
Ideas? Thoughts? Solutions?
EDM.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Misery Loves Company
And things were going so well...
Yes, the joy of all things living up here on the Sunny Coast for EDM and family has come to a grinding halt. It started with the son, before moving on to myself and then the wife. The dreaded flu my friends. And hasn't it hit with a vengeance.
One of the great things about going full-time in terms of daddy daycare duties was that it meant we could take the son out of formal daycare for six months.
Now, any parent with a child in daycare will tell you, daycare is a mixed blessing. While you get to work, etc and have the child(ren) looked after, it also means the child(ren) comes home on a regular basis with an assortment of lurgies and bugs.
So taking the son out of daycare has meant that we've been free of all these sicknesses since we arrived and it's been a wonderful thing living life to the fullest and enjoying all that it brings up here in Noosa.
Well, a week of constant rain last week meant a few trips to the local indoor play centre for reasons of sanity for both myself and the son. And that's where it all began. The son picked something up from some snotty-nosed stinky and it's been hell ever since.
I'd forgotten just how miserable it is when the flu or something similar like gastro reeks havoc amongst every member of the family over the course of a week or so. It's bloody horrible as the most vicious of vicious cycles goes around.
The son being sick means he doesn't sleep which means we don't sleep which then means none of us can rest and try and get over our sicknesses. The son's refusal to take his antibiotics for the chest infection he's got certainly doesn't help either, as it means his recovery will be delayed and of course ours will be as well.
Ahh, the misery of it all. There's no light at the end of the tunnel and you start wondering if life will ever return to normal. You know it will one day, but that one day seems so far away. Yes, misery loves company and there's plenty of it to go around at the EDM household right now.
Let's hope I can bring you my next post with a more sunnier and robust disposition. I'm certainly hoping the endless pumping of sudafed and multivitamins into my system over the last few days achieves just that.
Til then,
EDM.
Yes, the joy of all things living up here on the Sunny Coast for EDM and family has come to a grinding halt. It started with the son, before moving on to myself and then the wife. The dreaded flu my friends. And hasn't it hit with a vengeance.
One of the great things about going full-time in terms of daddy daycare duties was that it meant we could take the son out of formal daycare for six months.
Now, any parent with a child in daycare will tell you, daycare is a mixed blessing. While you get to work, etc and have the child(ren) looked after, it also means the child(ren) comes home on a regular basis with an assortment of lurgies and bugs.
So taking the son out of daycare has meant that we've been free of all these sicknesses since we arrived and it's been a wonderful thing living life to the fullest and enjoying all that it brings up here in Noosa.
Well, a week of constant rain last week meant a few trips to the local indoor play centre for reasons of sanity for both myself and the son. And that's where it all began. The son picked something up from some snotty-nosed stinky and it's been hell ever since.
I'd forgotten just how miserable it is when the flu or something similar like gastro reeks havoc amongst every member of the family over the course of a week or so. It's bloody horrible as the most vicious of vicious cycles goes around.
The son being sick means he doesn't sleep which means we don't sleep which then means none of us can rest and try and get over our sicknesses. The son's refusal to take his antibiotics for the chest infection he's got certainly doesn't help either, as it means his recovery will be delayed and of course ours will be as well.
Ahh, the misery of it all. There's no light at the end of the tunnel and you start wondering if life will ever return to normal. You know it will one day, but that one day seems so far away. Yes, misery loves company and there's plenty of it to go around at the EDM household right now.
Let's hope I can bring you my next post with a more sunnier and robust disposition. I'm certainly hoping the endless pumping of sudafed and multivitamins into my system over the last few days achieves just that.
Til then,
EDM.
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