Anyone looking for some good quality independent Australian writing should check out the series once again being run on Online Opinion featuring the

The only one that immediately springs to mind is Barista’s lovely meandering, reflective piece in memory of Norman Mailer:

http://barista.media2.org/?p=3276

Piping Shrike’s What a political crisis looks like

Peregrine’s Battle of The Ages

Unfortunately I can’t find the link from Possoms Pollytics but there was a post analysing leaked Crosby Textor data which showed that Labor had ownership of something like 6 of the 8 issues which would determine the election result. Anyone any ideas

I can’t nominate ‘Remaking Australia’ because it’s a ‘repost’. I wrote it for Crikey – not as a blog post.

Friday Horse Blogging

Handy Household Hints

Grass Farrier

http://kalimna.blogspot.com/2007/12/rudd-becomes-pm.html

Rudd becomes PM
by HC

It put a smile on my face

Magneto bold too

cheers kim

What is misogynistic?

Will no-one rid me of these evil moneylenders?

The more things change . . .

http://larvatusprodeo.wordpress.com/2007/12/09/pointless-controversy-resumed/

Maybe not my best this year – I can’t be bothered going all the way back to January to check – but definitely a good ‘un.

How about I noiminate the second one from Andrew Norton myself.

http://catallaxyfiles.com/?p=3131 (‘Azaria and the McCanns’)

http://catallaxyfiles.com/?p=2825 (‘Bastard Boys’)

http://catallaxyfiles.com/?p=3314 (‘Right to Silence’)

And three from other people:

http://catallaxyfiles.com/?p=2658 (‘Economic freedom and political freedom’)

http://andrewnorton.info/blog/2007/11/08/the-not-always-reliable-oxford-companion-to-australian-politics/#more-353
(A beautiful exercise in damning with faint praise)

http://andrewnorton.info/blog/2007/07/22/the-welcome-demise-of-literary-protectionism/#more-264
(An elegant dissection of literary Australia’s economic illiteracy)

http://catallaxyfiles.com/?p=2562 (‘The Lion and the Ostrich’)

Boynton, (bless her cotton socks) offered to nominate something for me, suspecting I expect that modesty might prevent me from doing it for myself. And while that might normally be the case, so too, I couldn’t really think of anything I’d written this year which was worth suggesting. Then I remembered the above (linked) which at the least, was fun to do.

No doubt for the most esteemed panel of judges, (whoever you are), this is all proving a bit difficult–apples/oranges etc. Perhaps you need to devise a few categories?

Hey Whitefella, wheres your country?
by Joe Blythe, at Transient Languages and Cultures
28 October, 2007

The Right Thing To Do? –
Jenny Green, at Transient Languages and Cultures
3 July, 2007

“We Dont Understand You”
by Jangari, at matjjin-nehen
June 9, 2007

Nagooka, Nooka and Ngukurr
by Wamut, at That munanga linguist
Saturday, February 17, 2007

Minbala bin basbas brein
by Langguj Gel
Thursday, February 01, 2007

Ngarla dude, or what to wear at this year’s native title consent determinations
at

(1) “The Mother of All BBQ Stoppers” (http://gavonomics.blogspot.com/2007/10/mother-of-all-bbq-stoppers.html);

(2) “Double jeopardy: double blow to victims” (http://bushlawyer.blogspot.com/2007/11/double-jeopardy-double-blow-for-victims.html);

(3) “Corporate solution to rape” (http://grputland.blogspot.com/2007/06/corporate-solution-to-rape.html).

Did this post change electoral history?:

http://www.sydneyalternativemedia.com/blog/index.blog/1735856/uh-oh-rudd-vote-goes-up-after-ny-strip-club-scandal-from-sept-2003

Posted in original form at 6.26 am ‘Tokyo’ “KDT” time which is roughly the same as Sydney time via my US host server time clock, 19th August 2007, the day of this News Ltd breaking story. You will notice on the time stamp there were changes up to 9.31 am that morning. This might have been the addition of the photo of the front page press images, and maybe some sub editing of the language.

The post is the prequel to my usual weekly Sunday Political Talkies free to air tv talkies. I just happened to wake up very early that morning and bought the press in training for the official election campaign.

I don’t claim it’s beautiful writing. But I do claim its beautiful real politik analysis and very useful timing for the ALP (of which I am not a member) but also anyone who wanted a change.

It’s a matter of history that Kevin O7 appeared before Laurie Oaks some 3 hours later that same morning and ran with basically the same PR strategy outlined in my post. Grovel, wait for the increased vote. The key is the DLP family background in the post.

Interview: Kevin Rudd
August 19, 2007
at

http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/political_transcripts/article_2285.asp?s=1

Maybe a coincidence but I doubt it. I hear these echoes coming back at me all the time in Mandarin (geddit?) whispers.

Peter Beattie was even heard in the middle of this time period my post to appearance on highest rating Oakes Sunday show (Insiders in fact at 9.00am) referring to ‘it won’t hurt Rudd, it will show he’s got blood in his veins’ line:

PETER BEATTIE: I’m a tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny bit surprised but my attitude, Barrie, is – big deal! What I think it will do is enhance his vote, shows that he’s human. I think anybody who’s had a few drinks and gone off to a club of some kind, provided they’ve behaved appropriately, my attitude is: big deal. I mean, he’d be the last person on the planet to have had a few too many drinks occasionally. I mean I don’t see Kevin drinking too much at all to be frank. But so what if he’s had a few too many drinks? I’ve seen a journalist do that on national television. So I’m not particularly… I don’t think anyone should get too excited about all that. I think at the end of the day it shows he’s human, shows he’s normal. I think Australians will probably warm to him rather than take it as a critical view. As far as I’m concerned, and I read Glenn’s story this morning, I don’t see it as any big deal. In Queensland, which is a conservative State on those sorts of issue, and I’ve had my finger on the barometer about those sorts of things for a long, long time, I don’t think it will do him one bit of damage to be honest. All he needs to do is come out and honestly explain the lot of it.

The only problem is, of course, it’s a bit of a distraction, which means that it takes away a bit of oxygen when you’re trying to run other issues. That’s the only downside for it. Most Australians will say “Big deal” and move on. It shows that he’s human, shows he’s got blood in his veins. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having blood in your veins. I don’t think it will cost him anything at all, Barrie. Peter Beattie, thanks for your time this morning. Appreciate it.

Peter Beattie to Barry Cassidy Sunday August 19th Insiders show before Rudd runs the gauntlet with Laurie Oakes later that morning on 9?

We feel very proud of this post, and the rest as they say is history.

Tom McLoughlin, editor http://www.sydneyalternativemedia.com tel. 0410 558838
……………………………………………….

#2 This was also a highly popular post for me regarding Simpson (really Kirkpatrick) and his donkey in WW1 with a nugget of original Australian history in there sourced to a family friend in Sydney, Alf Rankin (an early effort thus lack of visuals and format style):

http://www.sydneyalternativemedia.com/blog/index.blog/1620767/the-real-story-of-unionist-anti-war-gallipoli-martyr-kirkpatrick-aka-simpson-and-his-donkey/