Red Alert

Posts Tagged ‘Julia Gillard’

At home with Julia

Posted by Clare Curran on September 15th, 2011

This is seriously cool. It’s become a bit of a hit I understand. Wish we could do this stuff here. To the same quality.

Perhaps if we had a real public broadcaster. We certainly have the talent and the creativity. Just not the political will to back public broadcasting which believes in more than the next reality TV show.

Having the piss taken out of you is part of this business (as I’m realising). I reckon we’d be better off for a bit more satire and humour (and quality).

I hope the ABC makes the episodes available for a NZ audience too.

Tags: ABC TV, Julia Gillard, public broadcasting
Filed under: broadcasting, humour

9 Comments

Let your fingers do the walking

Posted by Phil Twyford on August 24th, 2010

What is going on with the Prime Minister’s diplomatic snub to Australian caretaker PM Julia Gillard? He reluctantly admits to a journalist’s question that he phoned Opposition leader Tony Abbott after the weekend’s election, but not Prime Minister Julia Gillard, because he did not have her number.

So it is OK for the Prime Minister to phone the Australian Opposition Leader who is a fellow leader of the centre-right…but not call the Australian Prime Minister who happens to be a Labour leader? He doesnt have the Australian PM’s number in his phone? He couldn’t get foreign affairs to give him the number?

Does he realise that Australia is this country’s most important relationship?

Tags: Australian election, John Key, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott
Filed under: Australia, Foreign Affairs

36 Comments

The keen to please PM

Posted by Phil Twyford on July 7th, 2010

Does John Key really think New Zealand is about to be hit by a wave of boat people?

“What I’ve said to the Australian prime minister is that we recognise there is a problem, and we recognise that from New Zealand’s perspective it’s a problem that is coming towards our shores at some point in the future.”

Mr Key said that from all the intelligence he had received, this was “a real issue”.

Has he looked at a map recently? There is a lot of ocean between us and them. Short of us putting out the welcome mat for people-smugglers it seems very unlikely they will make it this far.

Phil Goff has said the PM should stay out of Australia’s election campaign debate on what is a very difficult issue. Key’s very keen to please. We saw that when he was moved to change his mind and extend the SAS deployment in Afghanistan, dazzled by the four stars of General Stanley McChrystal. I am sure Julia Gillard can be persuasive but New Zealand should think very carefully before stepping in to this debate.

Tags: boat people, John Key, Julia Gillard, phil goff
Filed under: Australia

31 Comments