Is it over for Rann?

[mighty_tiger_79]

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/in-d ... 5831294904

looks like the expressway will no longer be a one way road.

quite interesting cos i only recently found out that the govt when they purchased the land, purchased enough to make it a dual way road, so they obviously kept it up there sleeve for now - election time

[dedja]

Not quite ... the Libs built it.

[wycbloods]

Good to see the expressway will finally be built to take traffic both ways at the same time.

Will save me plenty of time on the weekends.

[Jimmy_041]

I'd rather they leave it one way but add in another lane so I can get around those arseholes in Korean cars who sit in the right lane for the entire length

[mighty_tiger_79]

Not quite ... the Libs built it.

well there ya go, how good is my memory and i was only going on what i had thought id heard a local MP mention - he was liberal and he was in the northern area

then its even worse for redmond who decided not to make a decision about it today.............

[wycbloods]

I'd rather they leave it one way but add in another lane so I can get around those arseholes in Korean cars who sit in the right lane for the entire length

I don't mind them sitting in the right lane if they are doing 100km's p/h. The ones sitting side by side doing 85 is what irks me the most.

[fish]

Latest Centrebet odds for the state election.

LABOR $1.17 slightly in from $1.18 two weeks ago
LIBERAL $4.65 slightly out from $4.50 two weeks ago

Looks like the MC sideshow has run its course with the bookies and punters - they are over it.

[Jimmy_041]

Campaign stunts? Surely not
Mike Smithson
Sunday Mail (SA) February 13, 2010 5:11PM

Mike Rann had to be joking, pulling our legs, joshing, have a lend of us or cracking jokes.
The Premier's description of Isobel Redmond's visit to Menindee Lakes to see the extent of floodwaters as a stunt was breathtaking in its audacity.

``Rather than a publicity stunt where they take along journalists and hope to get a good run out of it, I actually do the hard work of the negotiations,'' Mr Rann said. He was critical the Redmond visit didn't produce an official Liberal water policy.

Rann's analysis of the trip was less than 24 hours after he'd hosted many of the same journalists on a similar Outback trip to open a new mine in the far west.

I didn't attend the Rann trip but was a willing participant on the Redmond journey, as I was also eager to see the volume of water heading down the Darling River towards us.

It's not that I didn't want to accompany the Premier. Channel 7's Ceduna-based freelance cameraman covered the Rann story and sent the pictures direct to Adelaide.

Rann's comments about the Redmond trip smacked of the pot calling the kettle black.

What actually constitutes a stunt? The Oxford Dictionary describes it as an action displaying spectacular skill and daring or something unusual done to attract attention.

I'm not sure Redmond's visit to Menindee was overly skilful or daring, other than she waded in the shallows wearing gumboots for a picture opportunity. That may have qualified as attracting attention, but she was asked to do it by an enterprising newspaper photographer.

Speaking of election stunts, which the Premier seems to abhor, let's revisit the 1997 state election campaign when he was Opposition Leader.

Labor kicked off its anti-privatisation push with an event outside the Bolivar treatment plant. Adelaide had just recovered from the big pong where most of the metro area was enveloped in a stench for many days, courtesy of a malfunction at the privatised plant.

Twenty placard-waving young Labor draftees dressed up in white boiler suits and gas masks. They provided a backdrop which was described by Labor's brains trust as a picture opportunity to get the campaign off to a visual start for television.

Days later when then-Premier John Olsen visited Wilpena to open a new solar installation, the Labor team was busy providing another under-the-radar picture opportunity back in town.

They placed 36 cardboard cutouts featuring Olsen and dumped Liberal Premier Dean Brown on the Lower House benches, with Labor MPs filling the gaps.

It was to illustrate the massive task they had to win government with an underlying message of Liberal disunity.

The Speaker at the time was outraged at the disrespect shown towards Parliamentary protocol.

As I see it, Labor's actions showed skill and daring, it was unusual and it certainly attracted attention.

Now don't get me wrong. I have liked the way Mike Rann uses opportunities at home and abroad to push a cause, break down the techno-speak and make issues believable and attractive to the masses.

Over 14 years of covering politics, I've been on dozens of well-planned trips designed to attract attention, mostly very positive. What irked me this week was the inference that journalists had been suckered into a trip with the Opposition.

To the contrary, it was covered because water is the most important issue facing this state. What probably irritated Rann was that he didn't think of it first.

Election campaigns are curious things from whichever direction you look. Taxpayer-funded employees and advisers on both sides are being sent to explore good campaign picture opportunities for the benefit of their Labor and Liberal leaders.

It's all about looking and sounding believable in a suitable location. Running the state and dealing with everyday problems seem to be of less importance at this stage of the election cycle.

So let's cut the crap.

Every part of election campaigning on both sides has an element of ``stuntmanship''.

Let the voters see it for what it is and make up their own minds.

[redandblack]

I suppose we can all link to articles that suit our bias and we're all doing so more and more frequently

Just speaking personally, I'd like to see links generally put in the miscellaneous debris thread, unless it's really relevant to a thread. I know I'm probably in a minority of one and there's certainly a place for links to interesting articles, but I think it's just getting a bit boring and overly partisan.

More debate, fewer links?

[Psyber]

I suppose we can all link to articles that suit our bias and we're all doing so more and more frequently
Just speaking personally, I'd like to see links generally put in the miscellaneous debris thread, unless it's really relevant to a thread. I know I'm probably in a minority of one and there's certainly a place for links to interesting articles, but I think it's just getting a bit boring and overly partisan.
More debate, fewer links?

I agree with the use of the "debris" thread for unrelated links.
However, I think the "debate" tends to go round in endless circles too, and we may have to give that up as well.
Back when the creation of the Politics forum was proposed I opposed it, concerned that it may cause disharmony in our group otherwise united by footy.
I got sucked in by the idea of debate to some extent later, but I think it goes nowhere and I'm trying to resist the impulse to join in now.

[dedja]

I agree with the use of the "debris" thread for unrelated links.
However, I think the "debate" tends to go round in endless circles too, and we may have to give that up as well.
Back when the creation of the Politics forum was proposed I opposed it, concerned that it may cause disharmony in our group otherwise united by footy.
I got sucked in by the idea of debate to some extent later, but I think it goes nowhere and I'm trying to resist the impulse to join in now.

I've got to admit I enjoy a mature political debate but I must admit I tend to agree with you on this one Psyber. There is a small group of amongst us with very fixed political views and the debates do end up in circular arguments unfortunately.

What's worse, it sometimes denigrates into personal attacks.

Not withstanding all that, I still think there is a place for the politics forum but we just need to keep an eye on the debates and those stubborn one-eyed political posters amongst us might need reminding of the rules of engagement every now and again, and we can count those types on one hand.

In some ways a mature political debate (or debate on other non-footy related matters) should bring the SA Footy community closer together because it breaks down the tribal club nature of our great game, even if it is just for those moments!

[redandblack]

Thanks dedja and Psyber.

I have to say that, compared to some forums, there have been very few issues in this forum that have caused much grief. There certainly has been little to moderate and I think all on this forum can take some credit for that, especially considering the potential of a Politics Forum for dissension.

We all have a fair idea by now of our political leanings, so I've been finding the partisan links don't add much. We're not going to convince each other through those links and I suppose I'm being a bit idealistic to hope we'd discuss issues from a less entrenched position.

There's ceratinly a place for the links to some articles, hence the Misc Debris thread, which I often find interesting.

My comments are not directed at any individual poster, but with an election coming up, I suppose I'm hoping we can enjoy the debate. I agree with Psyber that this is a site which should be bringing together SANFL fans who want to do so.

[dedja]

Fantastic article by Amber Petty in today's fishwrapper for mine ... and this link is directly related to this thread! http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opin ... 5831640666

ORDINARILY, writing a column on one's opinion of a person who first hit the news months ago would seem like a clear case of "You've missed the boat, love".
In the case of Michelle Chantelois, however, as she would have it, she is remaining committed to being fresh news on a regular basis - this week being no exception. I can hold my tongue no longer.

When Michelle first came out and made her claims, many - myself included - were shocked and, let's face it, had a bit of a gosh-and-giggle moment.

I will say that I do like the Premier and have hoped (and still do) that if he's saying "her version of events did not happen", then at least until things are proved otherwise we should leave it to the courts.

And if it is ruled he has done a Bill Clinton on us, then I'll leave my disappointment for that moment of truth.

For now, my disappointment lies with how Michelle has handled things.

First, if someone decides to stray outside their marriage, then surely that is a matter for the person who broke their marriage vows - in this case, allegedly Michelle - and the poor bugger who was betrayed.

I liken this behaviour to a woman - and this I've seen many times - who focuses her hatred more on the woman with whom her partner had the relationship, rather than on what a rat her own partner is.

Sure, if the woman in the affair knew he had a partner, then they are both a piece of work, but she is not the individual who made a commitment to her.

So what we have here is Michelle immediately coming out in the media to express her disgust with Mike Rann because he will not acknowledge the fact he does indeed know his magazine-wielding attacker, and wanting him to own up to what he has done.

But why, Michelle? Why, when you're the person that broke apart your marriage and embarrassed your kids, would you be wanting everyone to know what you did?

How does that help the ones you've hurt, or is it just that you've been hurt? How's that for priorities?

Instead, this woman, whom I just cannot understand, dolls herself up, drags mum along to an event she knows damn well the Premier is due to be at and ruins the function.

Once again, she brings more publicity and attention on her family.

She then hand-delivers, conveniently with media in tow, a letter demanding again that Mike owns up to the affair. She follows up this with the old "Oh here's Michelle, just lounging around up a tree" on the nightly news, while the letter gets printed in the press.

Michelle, I can tell you now, portraying yourself as a wounded bird, perched on a tree, does not make us want to save you. In fact, I'm more likely to want to call pest control.

Yes, the world loves a juicy story.

But when we South Australians are paying our taxes to a man we need to run the state, and run it well, we need to look before we leap. Knowing he's having to discuss this sordid matter rather than using every second towards the job at hand, that's when my amusement runs out.

I, for one, don't want to hear one more thing from Michelle Chantelois. There is nothing less admirable than a person who focuses all their energies on playing the victim, rather than looking to herself as to why she hurt the people she loves. Michelle, go away and pop a little Band-Aid on your wound and let your past heal in private - at least for the sake of your family and our hard-earned taxes.

[wycbloods]

Whilst i am not a fan of Amber Petty's at all i couldn't agree more with her article there.

[Hondo]

Good article from Amber - I am not always a fan of hers either but that sums up my feelings on the issue

It's time to go ..... Michelle Chantelois

[Mythical Creature]

I'm not a fan of Amber either but she has hit the nail on the head with that article. Thanks for posting it!

[Jimmy_041]

I do too - but put it in the Miscellaneous Debris thread will ya

Only one problem, because Gozu is on foe, that thread looks like a concertina door to me

[dedja]

I do too - but put it in the Miscellaneous Debris thread will ya

Only one problem, because Gozu is on foe, that thread looks like a concertina door to me

LOL

[shoe boy]

and I think the artical lets her of lightly!

[A Mum]

That article - my thoughts exactly !!