Peter Costello may have gone as chair of Nine Entertaiment Co. but the organisation’s drift to the right continues unabated, especially at its principle print-media masthead, The Sydney Morning Herald.

And the SMH’s move from Newscorpse-Lite to fully blown rightwing contender that would make James Campbell and James Morrow see the need to up the ante is sadly evident in just one issue of the SMH – yesterday’s Saturday copy – and the words of the three dunces shown above – Peter Hartcher, the political editor, James Massola, national affairs editor and Nick O’Malley, the paper’s national environment and climate editor.

Their crime? Repeating the great mainstream mediocre mythology that Peter Dutton’s defeat of Anthony Albanese’s Voice had anything to do with any political strategic brilliance on his part. With the unwritten rider but all pervasive message still being promulgated at every opportunity: Albanese was dreadfully damaged by the Voice outcome while Dutton was confirmed as a legitimate PM contender, a viewpoint that continues to be aggressively pursued by the coalition with the full and wholesome support of the aforementioned mainstream mediocre.

It is a sad day when the likes of Massola, O’Malley and Hartcher – who should all know fucking better – eagerly join in such bullshit-based malarkey. But coat on the bullshit they happily do.

Let’s look first at the joint article in that SMH by Massola and O’Malley. Here are some relevant extracts early on…

Let’s repeat the relevant piece of mythology …. Yet Dutton out-campaigned him, reversed the polls and defeated the referendum emphatically.

Yep, Dutton on his little lonesome. What a political tour-de-force! Unbeatable in 2025, surely?

On the back page of that Saturday’s SMH Review Section, Peter Hartcher also found the “bold” word useful.

Let’s repeat the relevant piece of mythology from this extract …. Dutton demonstrated …. that a distinctive position argued forcefully by a disciplined and united team can be devastating.

Dutton demonstrated! He helped demolish the government….

Let’s simply remind the three dunce-cap wearing men shown at top that the Voice referendum was defeated once both the Liberals and Nationals came out against it. That is the history of referendums in Australia and these three dunces would or should know that. Dutton could have spent the entire campaign hiding in a cave – and he probably wanted to – and the No case would have prevailed.

But what lauding by these three dunces of Dutton’s role in the bringing down of The Voice!

The grim reality is that Dutton did fuck all but shout childish slogans such as “If you don’t know, vote No!” and “Where’s the detail” even though it was spelt out in full. If shouting “If you don’t know, vote No!” is the correct audition for leading this nation, then heaven fucking help us.

And he must have been petrified at the possibility that there might have just been one MSM journo left who would have wanted to make a name for themselves by daring a cowardly Dutton to do an interview and defend the racist and divisive rubbish being pedalled. Silly, silly, me for thinking that was even a remote possibility in 21stC Australian media.

The bottom line is that the best way our first nations people thought they could be recognised in the constitution was by an innocent, non-binding voice to parliament on issues affecting them. You know: the-gap-that-never-closes stuff. All Albanese did was fulfil a promise to have a referendum on the issue. When he promised to do that, he thought he had bi-partisan support and The Voice was strongly supported across the nation. The Voice might just have helped close that gap on so many of life’s crucial markers. It was that basic and that simple.

But not for Dutton. He saw his chance to do maximum damage to Albanese and teach the darkies a lesson in the process. Given a dream run by this nation’s mainstream mediocre, Dutton let the No! campaign unfold, based on the most racist and divisive bullshit ever mounted in a political campaign in this country. The darkies were getting something we whities aren’t! White people in the outer suburbs are suffering while Albanese is off flirting with the darkies, paying them all his attention! Albo doesn’t care about you because you’re white! The statement from the heart is dozens of pages of angry darkie vitriol! We’re all going to lose our homes to the darkies! We’ll have to pay to have a swim at our favourite beach. Our cities are going to have their names changed to darkie names! FACT!

Ever written solidly about all of that, Hartcher, O’Malley and Massola? Show us the fucking articles! Show us how you’re made of professional, moderate, centrist stock.

That the likes of Hartcher, O’Malley and Massola are happy to reinforce the bullshit mythology surrounding how The Voice was lost – to give gutless, racist, Dutton one skerrick of credit for what unfolded there – is a very sad reflection indeed as to the state this nation’s MSM finds itself in. They should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

Newscorpse Lite is fast becoming Newscorpse Rival Heavy.

Don Gordon-Brown

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