"Honesty" in politics?
Photo Peter Garrett.
In the current Federal election here the Labor Party are trying to avoid controversy while ahead in the polls by claiming every time the Liberal party presents a good policy that they would do that too, to the point that the whole thing is being called the "Me too election".
The idea seems to be to present us with a choice between 'Tweedledums and Tweedeldumses" while hoping that people want to change. At last count Labor were up to around 23 me toos.
However all is not lost as one of their front benchers, environment spokesman, former rock star, and legend in his own mind, Peter Garrett in a fit of either honesty or crass stupidity has admitted that this will not be the case.
The following is From the "Australian".
PETER Garrett has reportedly told a journalist that Labor would change its policies once in power.
"Once we get in we'll just change it all," Mr Garrett said to high-profile radio announcer Steve Price.
The accident-prone ALP environment spokesman made the gaffe of the election campaign of a proportion that may have major impact on Labor's chance of snaring power federally.
In a statement issued late today, Mr Garrett did not deny the quote but indicated he may have been taken out of context.
"One of Kevin Rudd's senior frontbenchers, in an impromptu but nevertheless on-the-record discussion with me, face to face this morning, said that the 'me too' tag will not matter if Labor wins the election because, quote, 'once we get in we'll just change it all'," Mr Price told Southern Cross Broadcasting.
"The frontbencher is Peter Garrett."
Price said Mr Garrett had already had a pretty ordinary week after being forced to backtrack on comments about climate change and the Kyoto protocol.
But he said his comments were an insight into what voters could be in for under Labor.
"But Peter Garrett, this morning, by admitting to me that Labor is already thinking of, in his words, 'changing it all when we get in', well, that's going to leave a fairly hefty level of suspicion I would have thought among voters on what they're really voting for."
PETER Garrett has reportedly told a journalist that Labor would change its policies once in power.
"Once we get in we'll just change it all," Mr Garrett said to high-profile radio announcer Steve Price.
The accident-prone ALP environment spokesman made the gaffe of the election campaign of a proportion that may have major impact on Labor's chance of snaring power federally.
In a statement issued late today, Mr Garrett did not deny the quote but indicated he may have been taken out of context.
"One of Kevin Rudd's senior frontbenchers, in an impromptu but nevertheless on-the-record discussion with me, face to face this morning, said that the 'me too' tag will not matter if Labor wins the election because, quote, 'once we get in we'll just change it all'," Mr Price told Southern Cross Broadcasting.
"The frontbencher is Peter Garrett."
Price said Mr Garrett had already had a pretty ordinary week after being forced to backtrack on comments about climate change and the Kyoto protocol.
But he said his comments were an insight into what voters could be in for under Labor.
"But Peter Garrett, this morning, by admitting to me that Labor is already thinking of, in his words, 'changing it all when we get in', well, that's going to leave a fairly hefty level of suspicion I would have thought among voters on what they're really voting for."
It sounds more like crass stupidity than honesty but still it's refreshing.
ReplyDeleteTim Blair reported it in his blog with one of the best comments I have seen in the election: - He’s always been seven feet of pure liability, this boy. Rudd can’t say he wasn’t warned.
ReplyDelete