Mumble

Writes Mr Milne in Oz: ” [AWU's Paul] Howes’s point is this. The Tampa sailed on to Australia’s political horizon only months after 9/11 … ”

Whoops. Make that several weeks before 9/11.

Howes is the bloke who also reckons ”[Rudd] is in a unique position to change the debate. Changing the way Australia deals with race would be pretty special – that’s Labor hero stuff.”

Yes, and while he’s at it Kevin’s going to stop people getting pissed on Melbourne Cup day.

Mix culture wars and headlines and you get fantasies. We’ve also read that this all vindicates John Howard, and Howard was right but Rudd should let the Sri Lankans in anyway. Rudd’s policy is both softer and more cruel than Howard’s. That both Labor and Liberal can’t resist playing politics on the issue.

Oh, and the PM really should have tried to get some bipartisanship. (Imagine if you can Malcolm Turnbull selling that to the troops .)

Here’s the news from planet earth. The issue of boat people is a natural strength for the Coalition and a vulnerability for Labor. Howard welcomed it in the news and deliberately raised the temperature because the more visceral people’s responses the better for him. Rudd just wants it to go away and is on the defensive. His blasting of the opposition is from a position of vulnerability (and probably a suspicion that the “pull factors” argument has some truth).

Given the events of 2001 and the state of the Liberal Party, a weakened leader like Turnbull has no choice but to pursue the issue if he wants to keep his job. As has been noted, his being on the left of his party makes it more likely.

Most just the bleeding obvious, I know.

Shaun Carney on Saturday was an exception to the general silliness in commentatorland.