To those of you who have emailed asking where I’ve been the last while: studying. Administrative law, and looking forward to constitutional law, trusts and evidence over the next couple of weeks. Not much fun, but the end is in sight.
I have changed the title of this post because it was wrong. Andrew Bolt was not lying when he said he had not spoken to Miranda Airey-Branson before he wrote his hatchet job on Ms Fits. He had been interviewed by her, and he had been in contact with Ms Airey-Branson’s friend Alexander Lew. Bolt’s column was written at the urging of the Liberal students. However, by carefully answering questions about his contact with Ms Airey-Branson and ignoring my questions about his contact with Mr Lew, Mr Bolt avoided lying. I apologise for suggesting otherwise.
I have also deleted a comment I left here, which was totally inappropriate and I am ashamed that I posted it in the first place. It was a poor attempt at humour, but of course that is no excuse. I hope that both Mr Bolt and Ms Airey-Branson will accept my apologies.
Apart from those two changes, I don’t propose to back away from anything else I’ve written. If a group of Liberal students are going to:
-
pass themselves off as Greens while distributing Liberal how-to-vote cards;
-
make foul claims (which they know are defamatory) about a member of parliament;
-
publish a photo of the MP’s partner and encourage people to ridicule her;
-
set up a web form and encourage readers to spam another MP; and
-
respond to criticism by contacting people’s employers and attempting to have them sacked,
then I will point out what they’re doing. Since their attacks were largely directed at an MP Mr Bolt says he considers a friend, I am surprised he is taking the Liberals’ side.
Finally, I would like to stress that this blog and its contents are completely unconnected with my employer. I think it would be wrong to put forward my political opinions without telling people about my connection to the ALP, but that does not mean everything — or, for that matter, anything! — I write is endorsed by the ALP. I thought putting a disclaimer to that effect on every page would be enough, but apparently not.
I find it somewhat ironic that my personal website is supposed to be part of an ALP conspiracy. Alexander Lew’s emails tend to be CCed to Liberal players, including Victorian frontbenchers. The only Labor MP I contacted about the Two Cents group was Michael Danby. I sent him a copy of the complaint I wrote to Hot or Not, which resulted in the removal of his partner’s photo from the site. I would have done the same thing if he was a Liberal MP — that kind of behaviour is truly disgusting.
Unless there are any major new developments — there is still a chance that Andrew Bolt will write about the Diana Elgar Affair on the weekend — I don’t propose to write anything more about this. I think we all got what we wanted: a good laugh, and proof the Liberal students can’t argue their way out of a paper bag (at least without running to their respected national friends for help).
Posting will be light until after exams.
Update: New information in point 22 here.
