bob brown

If you consider the continuity errors in Tony Abbott's glib slogan proclaiming that Workchoices is "Dead. Buried. Cremated.", then maybe you are looking for an "Exhumed" to be inserted into that sequence - at least once, maybe more often. Abbott's serial non sequiteurs on the talk-radio circuit on Monday suggest that neo-liberal IR reform, whether named Workchoices or some other moniker, is not about to disappear from the tory agenda. Where's Freddy Krueger when you need him?

My selection of election ads for today. Firstly, GetUp.org - the Australian copy of the US's MoveOn.org - got Lyn Allison, Bob Brown and Kate Lundy into the same ad (not all into the same shot) to support a vote against the Coalition in the Senate. Steve Fielding told Insiders on Sunday morning that he wasn't invited - would he have played ball anyway? And why did Labor send a nonentity such as Senator Lundy to do the GetUp gig? Why not John Faulkner, Penny Wong, or Stephen Conroy? (OK, not Conroy.)

The leader of the Greens wasn't invited to the Leaders Debate, so he organised his own. Not a debate as such, but a forum held on Sunday night concurrently the Diet of Worms. Organised at short notice, with the promise that parties other than the Greens will be invited next time, this was essentially the Bob Brown and Friends Show.

Intended as a live stream which failed, it was posted on Youtube in chunks progressively during Sunday night. I've assembled the eight videos into a playlist which runs approximately 53 minutes.

Greensblog, the official blog of the four Greens senators, did live blogging of the People's Forum, which is handy to follow as the sound quality on the video is not crash-hot at times. Also included in the live blog was reportage of the Kevin 07 v John Ol'55 contretemps.

I am starting to think that the Intertubes are not going to have the impact on this Federal Election that the major parties may have been hoping for. Nonetheless, it's good for having a squizz at the TV ads without having to anywhere the Dreaded Commercial Television.

Top of the bill tonight, the Liberal Party's latest Truthful Scrutiny Ad. It's a cheap shot, but nonetheless it's one of the most incisive election ads I've ever seen, as much as anything for its simplicity. It just happens to be based upon a false premise.

Secondly, an excerpt from Bob Brown's address to the National Press Club on Wednesday (full transcript in PDF here).

And finally, a Dead Man Powerwalking verbally abuses a giant rabbit.