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Canberra Today 15°/16° | Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Macklin / Gossip and silence along the rough ‘Road to Ruin’

THE fallout from Niki Savva’s “The Road to Ruin” detailing the fiercely intense relationship between Tony Abbott and his COS Peta Credlin dominated the airwaves this past week.

Robert Macklin
Robert Macklin.

Credlin denied any “romantic” involvement; Abbott merely brushed the idea off as “scurrilous gossip”.

Savva was attacked for not putting the charges from political allies and staffers to the principals before publication.

This past week she responded: “Abbott rang around staff to find out who was talking to me for my book. Say I had submitted [their] on-the-record accounts to Abbott and [Credlin] for comment. How long do you think it would have taken for them to be called and convinced to retreat or retract?”

Fair point.

But spare a thought for the spouses, Brian Loughnane and Margie Abbott. All week their public silence spoke volumes.

FOR PM Malcolm Turnbull it was yet another distraction from an election now apparently scheduled for “the latter half” of the year; or is it the much-touted double dissolution immediately after the May 10 Budget? He’s still undecided, it seems.

Surely it’s time the Feds set a four-year fixed term like other more advanced polities. Giving the PM the right to choose an election date is simply undemocratic. But either way, it will be a fascinating fight – especially now that Tony Windsor has Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce under the gun.

THE stationing of US B1 bombers in the NT will probably not be an election issue since Bill Shorten’s Labor Opposition seems afraid to take a different stand on anything labelled “national security”. Unfortunately, the racist fears of old still lurk beneath Anglo-Australian attitudes, despite China now being our biggest trading and tourist partner and third biggest migrant source.

Radio shock jock Alan Jones made wildly irrational charges about Chinese investment in Australian agribusiness on “Q&A”. No surprises there. But Aunty herself then ran news promos warning of China’s “expected 20 per cent increase in defence spending” after the actual figure had been revealed as a mere six per cent – with a 300,000 reduction in Army personnel – the previous week.  

GOOD to see the GWS Giants footy club has not been deterred by our anti-development troglodytes from their proposed $800 million investment in Manuka Oval and village.

Its chief of operations Richard Griffiths is relocating to Canberra to oversee the next phase. The proposal will have to pass muster with government regulators – and competitive bids by other parties – but the sooner the better.  

SPORT leapt to the fore with Maria Sharapova’s admission that she’d been taking banned drugs. Sponsors departed. Long-suffering tennis watchers consoled themselves that her screams each time she struck the ball would be no more.

And our own Bernard Tomic and Nick Kyrgios gave perfect imitations of spoiled brats as we crashed out of yet another Davis Cup. Alas, the Cup has had its day. International tennis is now just another sporting business like golf or T20 cricket.

FINALLY, an inside tip. Great fun to watch Minister for Women, Michaelia Cash, giving her Press Club speech while busting to tell the big story of the Turnbull election pitch yet to be announced: Childcare will be front and centre!

See if we’re right.

robert@robertmacklin.com  

 

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Robert Macklin

Robert Macklin

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