Midnight Oil

Subject: Re: [powderworks] Something like this
From: Stuart Fenech
Date: 28/08/2010, 10:47 am
To: powderworks

Hi Miron,

Howard had the media behind him until the very end. I more or less agree that some decisions were a little too poll driven. And that the Coalition better used polling in this campaign (particularly in Queensland).

Garrett was decimated by the media. Don't underestimate how much people think Garrett is a poor politician - not just after the demotion. I think he was imperfect and could have been a better manager, but that's nice compared to what the person on the street thinks!

There is policy. That policy is good, bad, or somewhere in between. Then you turn on the TV or check the papers to see what people will think about that policy.

Example. Education policy.

MySchool. I can explain at length why this is not a good policy. But the media says it is, so people generally think it is good policy.

School projects. Something like 97% of these projects have gone on without a hitch. Local schools ecstatic. But media says it is a waste of money, so people generally believe it was a waste of money.

Regards

Stuart

On 28 August 2010 10:34, Miron Mizrahi <mironmizrahi@yahoo.com> wrote:

It was not politics. at least not in the policy sense of the word. This govt ran its policies like a PR campaign - everything rose and fell by the Monday morning poll. throwing a bone to the hungry (aka "the buck stops with me but I am demoting Pete") is the most natural choice. but sadly we live in an era where reporters who look like bullfrogs shape policy more than the policy makers themselves

as much as it pains me to say this, I almost miss Howard. at least he stuck to his guns on most occasions. regrettable as some of these guns may have been
Miron

How could people get so unkind?