This letter from Ann Sudmalis arrived in my mail box yesterday.
I've had conversations with Ms Sudmalis and believe the letter is a fair representation of how she speaks- so conversationally the letter works- but that is about it,
I found the letter offensive on so many levels so I thought I would share my thoughts with you on this one and see what you think.
First of all it was addressed to me on the outside of the envelope but the inside is a photocopy of a letter 'to the editor' and a colour insert introducing the Liberal candidate for Gilmore.
The Gillard Labor Government pretends to be working for the people of Australia, but most people believe the Labor Party is simply working for itself.
Well of course they are working for the people- the people in big business, certainly not for single parents, some people would say that all politicians simply work for themselves. Many more examples to choose from here, glass houses and throwing stones does come to mind.
Australia has a long and strongly held tradition of speaking out against those we believe are doing the wrong thing.
Perhaps- but that depends on what the 'wrong thing' is. As a 'nation' do we speak out loudly on 'wrong thing's in non Western countries? Do we offer asylum to people who suffer the'wrong thing' on a daily basis?
Ann is simply pedaling a message here that she thinks we aspire to a message that has been sold to us and we perhaps believe it is part of 'national qualities'.
We have a government sick with worry, about its own survival and one of its 'cures' is to gag the press by creating 'Government sanctioned journalism".
This line is parliament speak from the boss Mr Abbott and of course is populated by the main stream print media. Do you think if the popular press had reported more good news stories about the work that has been done in this term of government that it would be less on the nose? Do you think that the main stream print press feel threatened to the core of their capitalist bones?
I admit I have not read the new bills from beginning to end-however during the Finkelstein inquiry into the media- many respondents believed that a thorough review of the current media watch dog arrangements was needed.
Labor plans to sanction journalism........
No that's not totally right. The Greens have been working with the government on this issue to make sure that a single and independent press council that has real powers to support the community when it complains of media wrong doing.
Many people I know have turned away from the Big Press as it so......well you know.......
Is it little wonder that the Liberals are out shouting from the roof tops about the lack of free press- look who donates to their campaigns. Dig deep into the donations information - I think some people would be shocked at what goes on.
The press certainly don't make a fuss about who is buying democracy- surely fair reporting to the public would include such important information, check out what Crikey has to say.
Its the next part of Ann's letter that really irks me and of course is taken straight from the Daily Telegraphs handbook....
Comparing the current attempts at media legislation to political leaders like Mussolini, Stalin and Mugabe is outrageous, even Daily Telegraph readers have panned the paper for making the reference ( see 21/03/2013 print version for two pages of letters panning it - that's if you can bare to purchase it)
The statement is all part of the continual fear mongering, sky is falling in, stop this or that rhetoric, that many people are getting fed up with.
Oh and did I talk about the self perpetuating News Polling!!!!!! So if News Limited /Fairfax keeps telling us that Abbott is the preferred Prime Minister and that Prime Minsiter Gillard is rubbish -that has to have an effect on the swinging voters thoughts.
Are we really going to accept this draconian limit.....
Ann please read The Drum and note that many ordinary citizens of Australia want media reform, they don't want concentrated ownership in the hands of a few, and they want a press council who has the resources to follow up on complaints and not just 'slap on the wrist with a wet tissue'.
Most people I know love the freedom's we have as Australians....
Yep would agree with this statement mostly, but ask those Australians who lives have been touched by the regimes and hangovers from the eras of Mussolini, Stalin and Mugabe and I'm sure they would agree that you are drawing a long bow here and it seems you have lifted your material straight from the Daily Telegraph.
So did Ann do that on purpose to try and connect with Daily Telegraph readers who would have seen that front page- who knows- maybe Ann will tell us.
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