Anyone who doubts Rupert Murdoch’s role in the political chaos that has played out in recent days has never worked for him at a senior level.
Murdoch’s annual visits to Australia invariably trigger seismic events both in and outside News Corp, the company he’s presided over for decades.
So is it any surprise that Malcolm Turnbull has lost his job less than a fortnight after Murdoch arrived here? Of course it isn’t.
Murdoch flew in on August 10 and set about doing what he always does: he attended the annual News Awards, which fete the company’s best and brightest journalists, conducted one-on-ones with his editors and then signed off on the inevitable promotions, demotions and executions of the company’s most senior staff.
(I once endured all three on one of his visits – surviving a relatively benign one-on-one with Murdoch, accepting a News Award and then getting sacked, all in a matter of days.)
For good measure Murdoch also attended the 75th birthday of the Institute of Public Affairs on Monday night and was interviewed on stage with former Liberal PM, John Howard, by one of the media tycoon’s preferred columnists, Janet Albrechtsen.
Throughout all this he would have been forming a view that Turnbull’s time was up – in fact, he probably arrived with that view – and then imparted that message to his editors.
He wouldn’t have had to tell his columnists or his TV commentators because they arrived at that view months ago and have been preaching it ad nauseum. Foremost here have been Andrew Bolt, Miranda Devine and Peta Credlin.
They have been aided by an army of Sydney shock jocks, notably Alan Jones, Ray Hadley and Paul Murray …
• Read the advice of the Solicitor-General on Peter Dutton’s eligibility …
Solicitor-General-Advice-24-8-18.pdf
Peter Bright
September 3, 2018 at 8:10 pm
Do vipers do that?
Ben Frankcombe
September 3, 2018 at 6:30 pm
One would think that after destroying the NBN for him, Rupert would reward Malcolm for his loyalty …
Simon Warriner
August 26, 2018 at 11:08 pm
Re #4 … So little, and far too bloody late. What a joke the man is.
Peter Bright
August 26, 2018 at 10:21 pm
At … https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2018/08/27/kevin-rudd-murdoch/
.. there’s this:
[b]”Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has called media mogul Rupert Murdoch “the greatest cancer on the Australian democracyâ€.[/b]
[i]Mr Rudd used an opinion piece in The Sydney Morning Herald on Monday to attack Mr Murdoch in the wake of last week’s leadership coup.
“Murdoch is not just a news organisation,†he wrote. [b]“Murdoch operates as a political party, acting in pursuit of clearly defined commercial interests,[/b] in addition to his far-right ideological world view.â€[/i]
Mr Rudd has added [b]”Murdoch is also a political bully and a thug who for many years has hired bullies as his editors.”[/b]
So what we have by default is an unelected bully deciding what government will stay in office to best suit his interests, and using threats to keep things that way.
Hmmn. “By default.” What does that mean?
It means that Australians are too ignorant, naive and stupid to discern that Mt Rudd is absolutely right, and who, as a consequence of their carelessness, have allowed a foreign dictator to run this nation as he pleases.
We’ll never see a Liberal party act to rein in this evil man because they and their kind always benefit from his ways. They [i]want [/i]him to do it!
In summary, this nation is NOT a democracy! That word is a cover for the devilment that goes on behind the scenes where the population does not look.
Why do the people not look? Well, like I said, it’s because they ‘are too ignorant, naive and stupid’ to wonder what’s really going on. They would be hugely shocked if they did.
Nothing will change for the better while Australians prefer to be emus with their heads in the sand … or the telly, or sport, or gambling, or drinking … or being just plain senseless.
That’s our specialty, and we do it well. In fact, now with the proof of recent events, we’ve never done it better.
Richard Kopf
August 26, 2018 at 6:45 pm
It seems that Rupert has removed that left-wing scourge Turnbull and cleansed the Liberals of unclean thoughts like addressing climate change, supporting alternative sources of energy, better wages and conditions, and finally allowing the Royal Commission into the Australian financial services and so on.
Support for an Australian republic is now a pipe dream (or a smokestack dream).
Importantly, Rupert can now devote all his attention to demonising Bill Shorten. He will drag out the old cartoons of Bill and the Unions goose-stepping over the bodies of our heroes of commerce.
The question is, has he enough time left to destroy Labor? Watch him get to work .. he won’t stop trying!
Chris
August 25, 2018 at 1:16 pm
I’ve Got a Little List, and none of them be missed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NLV24qTnlg
1. Jonathon Duniam, ex Abetz adviser and mate to “let’s sell the ABC Hodgman”, who needs advice?
2. David Bushby, he who instigates a “No NBN petition” which disappeared when he realised the 18th century was gone, and those already connected were not in favour of his proactive action and he returned to the back bench of the Senate where his role is to continuously do nothing.
3. Eric Abetz, Rupert’s Friend, IPA and the LIEBRALS main conscience on anything.
philll Parsons
August 25, 2018 at 12:33 pm
We have to expect something from the opinion polls after the coup .. but what?
Will the dismissal of the most popular Lieberal leader see a relatively unknown rise higher that Turdbull due to the electors’ relief, or will the Kill Bill have to overreach because Shorten is the most popular choice?
Will we be thanking Rupert and his minions for the election of a Labor government, even though they will lead the Kill Bill campaign?
If there is a by-election for Wentworth, will the vote in this safe Harbour-side seat tumble .. like it did for the Member for Warringah where it dropped 14% in 2016 because they blamed Abbott for all the Lieberal Party’s ills based on the farrago of lies he used as PM?