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5 December 1999
AUSTRALIAN   SPIN
Editorial opinion expressed on this site is unbiassed by any advertising dollar.

NATIONAL

- TRAIN SMASH KILLS 7

A signal system is the reported cause of a train smash that killed seven people in Western Sydney.   The signaling equipment allegedly caused the smash because it had not been upgraded.  It is likely that it had not been upgraded because the Government is short of money because of huge losses in hosting the Olympic Games.  The losses hosting the games occurred because the Government appointed incompetent "mates" to the managerial positions.

We really do need a better and more open political system.  We need a system where incompetent political teams can be changed when it becomes obvious that they are hopeless, instead of having to wait for their term to expire.  Unfortunately, the tools to force this change do not exist.

As things stand, it is a bit like expecting a man sentenced to death to carry out his own execution.

INTERNATIONAL

- INDONESIA

President Wahibe is quite right in his assessment that Johnnie Howard as "childish".  It was, however, not very tactful.

And Johnnie Howard's requirement that Indonesia actively assist our racist immigration policy shows a marked lack of tact. If the morons in government could read the Australian electorate, they would know that Pauline did not attract votes because she was racist, but because she wasn't a politician.

Fortunately, it appears that President Wahibe has better information about the mood of the Australian people than have our political leaders.  SPIN continues to support President Wahibe in the very difficult task of bringing peace & prosperity to Indonesia.

- USA

The USA continues to lead the world towards liberty.  The demonstrations in Seattle are a further warning to US politicians that they must further involve the people in the decision making process.  SPIN believes that the WTO is providing benefits to all, but also believes that the ends don't justify the means.  In this matter, high handed decisions by bureaucrats can never replace democratic process.

The possible closure of New York's Daily News (drudgereport 4/12/99) is the first indication of what must be keeping Rupert awake nights.  With advertisers increasingly moving onto the www and journalists establishing their own domains, the kindest description of an investor who invests in print media must be "brave".

The New York Times is putting a brave face up, with banner headlines that "DRUDGE IS DEAD".  Well fellahs, I got a bit of news for you.  (These figures from DRUDGEREPORT on 5 December 1999.)
     VISITS TO DRUDGE REPORT
     PAST YEAR -- 216,358,749
     PAST 31 DAYS -- 23,325,115
     PAST 24 HOURS -- 1,015,067
Other internet journalists are working to develop their style. Austin Update is one such.

So who are the NYT trying to con?  Maybe the Stockholders, maybe the politicians, maybe readers of the Daily News.  The wiser journalists like Maureen Dowd will already have looked at their Drudge options.  Looks like a few cartoonists (e.g. Wiley) have already ventured on to the web, although others (e.g. Trudeau) seem to be firmly attached to the teat.  SPIN's opinion, for what it is worth, is that content is much, much more important than presentation.  People (readers) are looking for NEWS and OPINION.  Journalists provide content.  Media corporations only provide presentation.

The huge loss of power by media barons must be keeping the wiser politicians apprehensive.  Without Drudge, the Monica Lewinski story would not have outed.  Seattle would have been smothered by the pre-internet (dinosaur) press.  In future, domains like vote.com will provide indications of public opinion.

vive la internet!!!

- CHINA

That the Chinese should be spending their scarce industrial resources building a nuclear submatrine weapons system that is obsolete is beyond belief.  The genius in the CIA or NCA that leaked those plans to the Chinese should be awarded the highest honours that the USA can bestow.  Down in the pentagon they must be laughing themselves sick.

This gullibility of the Chinese leadership in swallowing that ploy will be quoted in textbooks well into the next century as an example of the reason for the failure of centralized leadership.  The type of intelligence required to get to the top of a bureaucratic heap is totally different to the type of intelligence required to play statesman or trader.  Of course bureaucrat princes never realize that.  They are convinced of their own superiority in every field of endeavour, as proven by their success in climbing the bureaucratic heap.

This page published 5 December 1999.

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