Religions > Atheism > OT: Howard Government Smear Campaign Begins In Run Up To Election
| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"NO.23: Stirfried Clayton In Black Bean Sauce" |
| Date: |
04 Jul 2004 02:19:38 AM |
| Object: |
OT: Howard Government Smear Campaign Begins In Run Up To Election |
I watched the programs on the formerly credible "Sunday" program this
morning and never have I seen a bigger pile of crap and pathetic inuendo in
my life. I think it's time "Media Watch" takes a good look at who's been
pulling the strings at Channel Nine! Claims by the government that they
aren't behind this muck raking is about as credible as Shaggy's song "It
Wasn't Me!".
http://au.news.yahoo.com/040703/21/pr59.html
Sunday July 4, 12:11 PM
Labor lashes Govt 'smear campaign'
Two federal Labor frontbenchers have accused the Liberal Party of running a
smear campaign against Labor leader Mark Latham.
Mr Latham's character has come under scrutiny in a television profile and
newspaper stories, including claims about a physical altercation with a
constituent 15 years ago when he was a councillor at Liverpool in Sydney.
Labor frontbencher Wayne Swan has accused the Government of lowering the
tone of debate and of "dirty tricks".
"All we've got here is second-hand and third-hand gossip," Mr Swan told
Channel Ten.
"What people want is a debate about ideas, not innuendo. I don't believe
that the Australian people are remotely interested in this sort of gossip."
Deputy Labor leader Jenny Macklin levelled similar accusations at the
Government.
"The Prime Minister might be trying to avoid it but I suspect he's got a few
other people running around behind closed doors trying to feed these
stories," Ms Macklin said.
But Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews has rejected claims the
Liberals are digging around in Mr Latham's past.
"I have no information that the Government is collecting any dirt on
Latham," Mr Andrews told ABC TV's Insiders program.
"What we are doing is looking at his policies and what the Business Council
report about jobs shows is that Mark Latham does not understand the detail
of his own policies."
A spokesman for Prime Minister John Howard says Labor's allegations of a
smear campaign are ludicrous.
King hit
The debate comes after Liverpool resident Don Nelson said Mr Latham tried to
"king hit" him late one Saturday night 15 years ago.
"Mark Latham was on my right and out the corner of my eye I saw the fist
coming in my direction," Mr Nelson said.
Mr Nelson says he avoided Mr Latham's punch and then "sat him on his
backside".
In a bid to head off the allegations, Mr Latham told his side of the story
on radio last week, playing down the incident as ancient history and
rejecting claims he hit Mr Nelson.
"I grabbed hold of him," Mr Latham said. "He was ... not in any state to do
anyone any real harm but we just got hold of him and got him out of the
campaign rooms, a bit of crowd control, and that was the end of that."
But a third man who says he was at the scene of the fracas has told Channel
Nine's Sunday program, speaking on condition of anonymity, that Mr Latham
"threw the first blow".
Mr Latham last week blamed the Liberal Party for trying to stir up things
from his past on the eve of the election and he called for a clean and
positive campaign.
"It's ancient history that's being recycled under the banner of
investigative journalism," he said.
Latham responds
In a statement released earlier today, Mr Latham says claims he king hit a
man while he was a Liverpool councillor 15 years ago are ridiculous, untrue
and unbelievable.
Mr Latham also says newspaper reports about his first marriage, including
allegations of intimidation and infidelity, are not new.
He says it is the same old rumours and gossip he has been hearing for years.
.
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