Witless Conroy's Shameful Attack

[silverfaun]

This witless little incompetent should be sacked, removed from the Labor party and Shorten should distance the party from this pathetic union hack.

This, on the day Labor was shown up for their shameful defence of Craig Thomson,  now we are subjected to this appalling insulting  of an honourable serving Officer on national TV and not having the intestinal integrity to apologise for his attack:

THE government has demanded Bill Shorten discipline frontbencher Stephen Conroy for breaking with convention in a “cowardly”, “unprovoked” and “outrageous” attack on a senior serving army officer.

Coalition senator Ian Macdonald shut down a Senate estimates hearing after Senator Conroy, Labor’s defence spokesman, launched an extraordinary attack on the head of the government’s border protection operation, Lieutenant General Angus Campbell, accusing him of being involved in a political cover-up.

Senator Conroy likened General Campbell to the fictitious Colonel Nathan Jessup from the movie A Few Good Men for his approach to restricting the flow of information on the interception of asylum-seeker boats.

“That is called a political cover-up, a political cover-up, you are engaged in a political cover-up,” Senator Conroy yelled from the bench.

The most bitter exchange began after General Campbell said it was necessary to keep details of Operation Sovereign Borders secret to avoid damaging Australia’s relations with its neighbours and to prevent people-smugglers from gaining an advantage.

Senator Conroy retorted: “Can’t we handle the truth?”

General Campbell responded: “It kind of sounds like a movie, senator.”

Senator Conroy: “It is a movie, and we are living it, Colonel Jessup. I mean seriously, you can’t tell us the truth, you can’t tell the Australian public the truth because you might upset an international neighbour. That is called a political cover-up.”

General Campbell remained calm during the incident but said he wanted to put on the public record that he took “extreme offence at that statement”.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/hearing-shut-down-over-stephen-conroys-attack-on-campbell/story-fn59niix-1226837720898

[lakeland27]

thomson is gone ,  its the secret blokes club in charge now, using ex members does nothing to enhance the weak argument you put.

[lakeland27]

 pre-selected when he was dirty is an assumption. they , knowing the likes of jackson believed him. an error of judgement. both he and jackson are dirty not just one.

 slipper was pre-selected what Six times ?  kind of knocks that line of attack on the head

[tall_bearded]

It is the Government and not the military who make policy, and it is the Government and not service personal who should respond to questions in connection with it. 

Therefore, if the government position is that limiting the amount of information being provided is in the national interest, then that is the position the military must take, irrespective if they agree with it or not, and Conroy know this or should have known this.  As such, he has demonstrateda  complete unfitness to hold that position.

But then he does come from a long line of Labor politicians, starting with Whitlam, who believe that as long as there is a political advantage to be gained from it, it's okay to vilify, alienate and marginalise service personal.

[silverfaun]

I hope this fool is pursed to the extent that the weak ineffectual Shorten is forced to sack this disgraceful excuse of a parliamentarian, rid us of him, this union hack that is the incompetent idiot who oversaw the most wasteful  project in Australia's history.

The defence of this grub on here by the usuals is par for the course, as we saw with their defence of Thomson for years and now they want all that "forgotten, move on", well guess what?? it won't be forgotten and the next federal election will remind people of just how corrupt & incompetent Labor is.

This attack on a distinguished decorated military officer when this fool is the shadow minister for defence????? good luck with that Conroy.

[donnashuggy]

No, it comes down to whether the guy is involved in a political cover up and it is clear he is, it is up to the opposition to take him to task on that.

[lakeland27]

 if the man is forbidden to speak and merely attends to stonewall the committee he shouldn't attend at all. its the government who put him in that position, its morrisons cloak and dagger BS that put this chap in the firing line.. he should stand up to morrison and say 'you go , its you that thinks that you are James Bond'' or something similar.

[lakeland27]

and it was John Howard TB who verballed the navy over Tampa along with reith and ruddock.  you're assertion that its a labor thing doesn't hold up.

[tall_bearded]

You hit it on the head. 

He should never have been called at all and the fact that speaks volumes as to Conroy’s intent by requiring he attend.

[tall_bearded]

All politician do it, but Labor developed it into an art form.  Ask any Vietnam Vet.

In fact Tampa a good case in point.  Howard was able to say anything he liked because he knew that Navy could not publically respond. 

Yesterday Conroy did exactly the same.

[pct001wine]

So some robust statements were made in a Senate Estimates hearing ?  Big deal.   It has been a feature of Senate Estimates for a long time and hopefully will continue.  It's an essential part of the political process and at least gives a bit of transparency to government actions.

Both parties have been guilty of making a strong impression at these hearings. I hope that you don't think Conroy is alone in this, some of the LNP antics at Senate Estimates make this look like playtime.

Just because the bloke is in uniform doesn't give him some special dispensation.