EYE-BALL’s Harry’ Growl on – Lenore Taylor – Chief Political Correspondent for the SMH – A correspondent with her own political agenda –

Latest ‘Harry’s Growl’ Posts: – 14th Dec – Gillard’s Gutter Mouth – The dishonour she does to the office of the Prime Minister – – 3rd Dec – The GREENS – Leader Milne has her head in the sand – – 28th Nov – The Dogs have their BONE Part II – The Wilson Interview and how it reflects on Gillard – – 27th Nov – The Dogs have their BONE Part I – Gillard’s kicked them out the house – – 23rd Nov – The ALP and Obeid Train Wreck  – is it meant to distract from Gillard & the AWU Scandal – – 22nd Nov – Gunfights at the OK Corral: Misandry v Misogyny – GILLARD v Ralph BLEWITT – GILLARD v Hedley THOMAS – GILLARD v Mike SMITH – GILLARD v Larry PICKERING – GILLARD v ALP Caucus – GILLARD v All Australians … – 13th Nov – The Day the heavens began to cave in – – Obeid and his entourage to bring it all down … – – 10th Nov – The 2012 US Presidential Election Part II – The Fallout – the GOP beating up on itself – – 8th Nov – The 2012 US Presidential Election Part I – what does it really mean — – 7th Nov – Bob Carr … Foreign Minister – as profiled by “The Australian’s” Ross Fitzgerald – – 29th Oct – The Most Irrelevant of all Irrelevancy – Independents – Slipper, Thompson, Windsor, Oakeshott, Katter & Wilkie – hanging on to office rather than face the electorate – – 27th Oct – Julia Gillard does not understand Hypocrisy – ALP Powerbrokers dump Penny Wong – makes Gillard look foolish over her ‘sexism’ claims – – 27th Oct – Julia Gillard an assassin best dressed in Black – Maxine McKew’s – “Tales from the Political Trenches”- – 26th Oct – The Turkey Basted Gillard – and “The Australian’s” Hedley Thomas’s – recipe for Slow Roasting a Prime Minister – – 26th Oct – Maxine McKew’s story – Tales from the Political Trenches – – 22nd Oct – Gillard stands atop her own Abyss – Will she jump or wait to be pushed – – 19th Oct – Oddball News Wrap – ‘Reel 6′: News Updates from Around the World – – 17th Oct – Craig Thompson – there are no words to describe this GRUB … – – 16th Oct – Hedley Thomas is back – and Gillard knee’s begin to tremble .. – 9th Oct – Gillard has lost it – Turns Parliament into a sledge-fest over sexism – To see more EYE-BALL Harry’s Growl posts: click here …	Title: – Lenore Taylor – Chief Political Correspondent for the SMH  – – A correspondent with her own political agenda  – | Author: EYE-BALL’s Harry’s Growl | 15th Dec 2012 |
	The SMH Chief Political Correspondent – Lenore Taylor has a problem – she has lost all objectivity in a political year made famous by Gillard and her sexist tirades, and her involvement in the AWU scandal. Whether Taylor’s problem is a gender issue and a set against those pursuing Gillard and her past AWU scandal involvement, of whether she has strong ALP support views, the outcome is that her ability as a journalist is severely compromised because she has lost all sense of what her job is in reporting the truth, as opposed to trying to influence opinion. ‘The Australian’ National Correspondent Hedley Thomas wrote a piece about the lack of journalist integrity in pursuing the Gillard AWU scandal earlier this year.   It fell on deaf ears if what Taylor wrote today is any guide. Lenore Taylor is one such journalist who has given Gillard journalistic support in lieu of independent objectivity as is her job to do.  She has played her own political card/agenda to support Gillard and the tripe she filed for publication today is an example. Rather than write about a judicial judgement that places a jurist’s personal opinion about ‘political motivation’, above hard evidence about a ‘sexual harassment’ allegation, Taylor chose to pursue a case against the Opposition for having been somehow involved with the ‘political motivation’ in having the allegations bought before the court. She has no evidence and that is her basic failing as a journalist.  All she has is just outright conjecture – an independent journalist would never have written this story with the slant Taylor presented. To make the judgement call for yourself – please read Taylor’s story below. It may not be Watergate but more explanation is needed | Author: Lenore Taylor | Date: Dec 15th, 2012 | Link to On-Line Story. | Within about 16 hours of James Ashby lodging his sexual harassment claim against Peter Slipper in April, Tony Abbott was dead certain of its implications for the Speaker and also for the government. “It is untenable that a member of Parliament facing serious allegations of sexual harassment and criminal misuse of entitlements should hold one of the most senior positions in the Australian Parliament. “… We now have a government in Canberra that is dependent for its survival on two members of Parliament, Craig Thomson and now Peter Slipper, who both face investigation over very serious allegations … the Prime Minister must ensure that no further damage is done to the reputation of one of the most senior offices in the Parliament and she must act today to ensure that Mr Slipper stands down while this matter is dealt with in the courts,” he thundered. But this week when Justice Rares threw the whole thing out of court as a politically motivated abuse of process, the Coalition said it was just this little old thing Ashby did on his lonesome, with no real consequences for anyone else at all. Advertisement Redefining the question on Friday, Abbott insisted ”the only issues at stake are did Mr Slipper sexually harass his former staffer and why did the Prime Minister think he was a fit and proper person to be the Speaker in the first place”. As for Mal Brough, ”He’s been quite transparent and upfront about his involvement,” Abbott claimed. Or as Joe Hockey said on Wednesday, “The bottom line is an individual has made some claims against a former employer which they are entitled to do, and the court has made a decision which they are entitled to do.” So, nothing at all then, really. In fact the court found thumpingly and unequivocally that sexual harassment was not the only issue at stake. It found that the main issue at stake was a politically motivated attack using sexual harassment as a guise. And we know it did not amount to nothing, but rather became a life and reputation-destroying thing, a potentially government changing thing, that the former staffer did in conjunction with a former Howard government minister and now candidate for Slipper’s seat, Brough (ie, the direct beneficiary if he could knock off Slipper) after discussions with someone who is now a minister in Campbell Newman’s Queensland government, and after at least some contact with several serving Coalition frontbenchers. It may not be a conspiracy to rival Watergate, as Labor is alleging. The Coalition may not be ”rolling in filth” as Julia Gillard so colourfully put it. It may not even be a conspiracy that goes beyond those already named in the judgment as alleged co-conspirators. But it does raise some questions. And Brough has not been transparent. Brough has not explained, for example, why he was urging Ashby to copy Slipper’s private diary so he could pass it on to a News Ltd journalist, Steve Lewis. The extracts he was asking for had nothing to do with Ashby’s claim of sexual harassment and apparently a lot to do with trying to prove misuse of entitlements by Slipper. In his previous public statements Brough has said it ”would have been a poor reflection on my values as a human being” if he had not talked to Ashby about his sexual harassment claim when the young man came asking for advice and help. But Justice Rares didn’t buy that at all. He said Lewis was after a story, as any journalist would be, but it was highly unlikely Brough was offering to help Ashby out of ”pure altruism”. ”Realistically, his preparedness to act for them was created and fed by their willingness to act against Mr Slipper’s interests and assisting Mr Brough’s and the LNP’s interests in destabilising Mr Slipper’s position as speaker and damaging him in the eyes of the electorate.” And we need to know how Ashby is paying for the expensive legal action, and also for Slipper’s costs, which have been awarded against him. (Ashby has said he may seek leave to appeal). Harmers Workplace Lawyers took the case on a no win, no fee basis, but Ashby is apparently paying for the services of his three barristers (we say apparently because his PR man, Anthony McLellan, who Justice Rares informs us charges $550 an hour plus GST, would say only that ”we are not in a position to discuss Mr Ashby’s legal cost arrangements beyond repeating that no third party is funding his case”). That cost, added to Slipper’s bill, would likely run to hundreds of thousands. In fact, as Justice Rares pointed out, Ashby’s costs were so high he would have received virtually nothing himself, even if he had won the case. Asking those questions does not require the questioner to condone or excuse the texts Slipper sent, which would be difficult to do, or Labor’s tricky politics of wooing him with the offer of becoming Speaker, which doesn’t look at all clever in hindsight. The issues are separate, although conflating them provides a convenient hide for the Coalition. The former Speaker had his reputation ruined by the case, in particular by a horrible text about female genitalia – sent before Ashby even joined his staff, he isn’t going to get the Speaker’s job back and he’s set to lose his seat to Brough. A Reachtel poll commissioned by Fairfax Media suggests he could win just 2.7 per cent of the vote. There are at least some in the Coalition who concede Brough should answer some questions. Speaking to Sky News Abbott’s own parliamentary secretary, Senator Arthur Sinodinos, said Brough was a man ”with his heart in the right place”. But Senator Sinodinos also said that after listening to Ashby in an initial conversation Brough ”should have maybe distanced himself more than was getting involved in trying to facilitate any sort of assistance for Ashby. That should have been left to Ashby and others because it’s created this perception that Mal has just cooked all of this up to knock off Slipper … He [Brough] has got some questions to answer.” … Read more … The question’s Taylor ask’s only have minor relevance compared with the bigger story concerning the verdict and Roxon’s involvement.   How can Taylor be so blind?   What is her editor’s comments to the story she filed? Taylor regularly appears on that other biased ALP propaganda show – the ABC’s ‘Insiders’ and hosted by the biggest ALP supporting journalist of them all – Barry Cassidy.  This Nation is on its knees and divided over whether Gillard is a fit and proper person to serve as our Prime Minister.   Yet Taylor wants to attach the Opposition for pursuing Gillard over the AWU allegations. Taylor has this knack of trying to appear as a far-sighted and inciteful commentator on ‘Insiders’, but when all said and done – you often scratch your head and ask what is she talking about.   Has she ever interviewed a Prime Minister one on one … has she ever done the investigative work on the AWU scandal files to prove to herself that Gillard has no case to answer … Taylor had to have been though of as a talented Journalist at some point to have the title she has – but in a year where politics has forced people to take sides and journalists have succumbed to that temptation as well – the media are failing Australia and allowing all Politicians to set the tone and drag this Nation away from what is important. I have covered this Taylor story for a reason – Mike Smith was sacked from the Fairfax owned 2UE for wanting to do the AWU story on air 12 months ago.  The story was pulled as he was about to go to air after Gillard had blackmailed both Fairfax and News media empires to back off the story. It would now seem that Gillard has other friends on the inside of Fairfax publications being allowed to protect her as well. This author is no fan of Tony Abbott, or Mal Brough – the bigger story here is the judicial verdict against decades of corrupt behaviour by the former Speaker Peter Slipper – who yet again has escaped the full scope of the Law for his actions. What of Nicola Roxon’s involvement in trying to pervert the course of justice? How can the Attorney General even be seen to be involved in this Slipper case yet her fingers are all over it. Why has Taylor not taken that story and made it her priority as opposed to trying to join Gillard and Roxon by saying the Opposition Leader now has a case to answer. For Fairfax Editors to allow this biased and slanderous type reporting is a failing of their Press charter.  In a time where Gillard it trying to limit the ‘free speech’ of the media, you would think the Press would be no friend to Gillard. How can a Government as corrupt as this Government ever be bought to account when the media support the Government at large. The failing share price of the Fairfax media empire has a cause – perhaps the editors should look to their reporters and the crap they file as stories as a cause and effect. A Postscript: This post was written early this morning before news of the tragic shooting in Connecticut USA was broadcast.   20 young children aged between 5 and 10, along with six adult teachers were slaughtered by a lone gunman … this is what comes from inaction by US Politicians too scared to take on the gun lobby … fear by men and women who knew better helped kill these children.  If America is not now motivated to move on meaningful gun laws … then ‘America the Brave’ they are no more … read more here …
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