The truth is out there
The evidence is still flowing in, and it doesn't look too good for Howard. There are plenty out there who are convinced that Howard is playing hide-and-seek with the truth, and are keen to nail him. Whether it's evidence of WMD in Iraq, Bali travel warnings or Tampa, there is increasing evidence that Howard has been less than truthful.
Howard loves to play little linguistic games. Read some of his transcripts, and you get a feel for how he likes to twist the words of his interviewer, make promises and commitments that sound grand but are completely empty beneath the edifice. He is a master in logic as well as politics, and he uses this to his advantage. It can be infuriating and make him look like he's dodging the question, but it's a game he loves to play.
The latest allegations relate back to what Howard knew and when regarding the children overboard (or not) on Tampa. The evidence appears pretty conclusive tht Howard had been told unambigiously that children had NOT in fact been thrown overboard, but still went on to parrot the disproven claim as if it was fact. Howard's linguistic gymnastics cannot save him from the popular and inescapable conclusion - John Howard Lies.
This disrespect for the truth will hurt Howard much more than previous accussions made against him. The reason? Truth is a value which is not just respected by his political opponents, who wouldn't vote for him anyway, it is also respected by his own side of politics. Previous accusations ("Howard's racist on refugees...", "Howard's a silly old fart...") only reinforced the views of those who already hated the guy, but did nothing to persuade soft-supporters or swingers. Playing fast and loose with the truth, however, and even your friends want to keep their distance.
Howard loves to play little linguistic games. Read some of his transcripts, and you get a feel for how he likes to twist the words of his interviewer, make promises and commitments that sound grand but are completely empty beneath the edifice. He is a master in logic as well as politics, and he uses this to his advantage. It can be infuriating and make him look like he's dodging the question, but it's a game he loves to play.
The latest allegations relate back to what Howard knew and when regarding the children overboard (or not) on Tampa. The evidence appears pretty conclusive tht Howard had been told unambigiously that children had NOT in fact been thrown overboard, but still went on to parrot the disproven claim as if it was fact. Howard's linguistic gymnastics cannot save him from the popular and inescapable conclusion - John Howard Lies.
This disrespect for the truth will hurt Howard much more than previous accussions made against him. The reason? Truth is a value which is not just respected by his political opponents, who wouldn't vote for him anyway, it is also respected by his own side of politics. Previous accusations ("Howard's racist on refugees...", "Howard's a silly old fart...") only reinforced the views of those who already hated the guy, but did nothing to persuade soft-supporters or swingers. Playing fast and loose with the truth, however, and even your friends want to keep their distance.
Comments
> The latest allegations relate back to what
> Howard knew and when regarding the children
> overboard (or not) on Tampa.
The children overboard incident and the Tampa incident are unrelated (apart from being boats full of asymlum seekers shunned by the Coalition).
Children were not thrown overboard from the Tampa (though the truth might have been).
;-)
Andrew.
A bit, unreserved apology for mentally merging these two very shameful moments in our history to one, monumentally shameful event.