BF2S Forums Australian politics thread.

Wait, did she actually kill herself because she got a prank call from someone pretending to be the Queen?

This is such bullshit.

I can't even contemplate why you would off your self because of a prank call. This has been blown why out of proportion. Then again, if you can't take a joke may as well go kill yourself.

Of course they're not responsible for the woman's death, that can't be placed on them. That being said there is no excuse for the idiocy continually shown by a lot of these shock-jock types. Australia's not alone, here in NZ there were a couple of dorks who thought it would be a funny idea to impersonate pilots and breach security at our biggest international airport. Hilarious I'm sure until they realised that they were facing a year in prison and $100,000 fines. There's just a complete lack of any consideration to consequences.

These people just act like bored children. Prank calls and ridiculous stunts and games - I know it's expected of them, it's their job. And Hell, I was nine once, I made prank calls too. But with this bizarre job description should come the realisation that when you're doing this stuff there is the potential for it to be taken too far. If they were smart they'd draw a line for themselves and react accordingly when they reach it.

Like two years ago with that shithead Kyle Sandilands and the 14 year old girl he hooked up to a lie detector for some dumb game. The girl was put under pressure to reveal more and more, including about her sex life, (14 remember,) until she finally revealed that she had been raped when she was 12. Sandilands in his infinite dickheadedness didn't react, instead continuing to quiz this girl on whether she had any other sexual experiences, (his co-host thankfully had enough sense to know things had gone too far and called a halt to it.)

And pranks calls, they are generally harmless but let's not forget that it is their purpose to be cruel, to make others look like idiots. And when you're doing them indiscriminately like this one was, (i.e. they didn't know who the person on the other end was going to be,) there is the chance of collateral damage. I doubt this call was enough to cause a woman to want to commit suicide but neither of the radio hosts knew her or her situation. She was clearly a troubled woman and being made to look like a gullible idiot in the international media was seemingly what pushed her over the edge. Now these two radio hosts weren't to know this. But that's the problem, they simply do not think.

Hindsight is always 20-20 but lets go over where they went wrong with this.
- Impersonating someone to gain access to confidential information is a criminal act.

And there. That's it. That's why it was a stupid fucking idea. Whether or not they were successful in getting through, whether or not there was a mentally distraught nurse who ended up offing herself, that is all they needed to consider in order to know what dumb fucks they were being. Just like the two twats in NZ who impersonated someone to gain access to a restricted area - these aren't harmless pranks, they are crimes.

Fuck's sake. There's a reason gossip mags don't pull that kind of shit to get scoops, and they're the scummiest of the scummy.

So yeah, these two. They can't be said to be responsible for this nurse's death, but they are fucking idiots to an incredible degree. One can only hope this makes the commercial radio industry pull its head from it's arse and realise that there should be a little professionalism in the being-a-juvenile-fuckstick industry.

Ty wrote:

Of course they're not responsible for the woman's death, that can't be placed on them. That being said there is no excuse for the idiocy continually shown by a lot of these shock-jock types. Australia's not alone, here in NZ there were a couple of dorks who thought it would be a funny idea to impersonate pilots and breach security at our biggest international airport. Hilarious I'm sure until they realised that they were facing a year in prison and $100,000 fines. There's just a complete lack of any consideration to consequences.

These people just act like bored children. Prank calls and ridiculous stunts and games - I know it's expected of them, it's their job. And Hell, I was nine once, I made prank calls too. But with this bizarre job description should come the realisation that when you're doing this stuff there is the potential for it to be taken too far. If they were smart they'd draw a line for themselves and react accordingly when they reach it.

Like two years ago with that shithead Kyle Sandilands and the 14 year old girl he hooked up to a lie detector for some dumb game. The girl was put under pressure to reveal more and more, including about her sex life, (14 remember,) until she finally revealed that she had been raped when she was 12. Sandilands in his infinite dickheadedness didn't react, instead continuing to quiz this girl on whether she had any other sexual experiences, (his co-host thankfully had enough sense to know things had gone too far and called a halt to it.)

And pranks calls, they are generally harmless but let's not forget that it is their purpose to be cruel, to make others look like idiots. And when you're doing them indiscriminately like this one was, (i.e. they didn't know who the person on the other end was going to be,) there is the chance of collateral damage. I doubt this call was enough to cause a woman to want to commit suicide but neither of the radio hosts knew her or her situation. She was clearly a troubled woman and being made to look like a gullible idiot in the international media was seemingly what pushed her over the edge. Now these two radio hosts weren't to know this. But that's the problem, they simply do not think.

Hindsight is always 20-20 but lets go over where they went wrong with this.
- Impersonating someone to gain access to confidential information is a criminal act.

And there. That's it. That's why it was a stupid fucking idea. Whether or not they were successful in getting through, whether or not there was a mentally distraught nurse who ended up offing herself, that is all they needed to consider in order to know what dumb fucks they were being. Just like the two twats in NZ who impersonated someone to gain access to a restricted area - these aren't harmless pranks, they are crimes.

Fuck's sake. There's a reason gossip mags don't pull that kind of shit to get scoops, and they're the scummiest of the scummy.

So yeah, these two. They can't be said to be responsible for this nurse's death, but they are fucking idiots to an incredible degree. One can only hope this makes the commercial radio industry pull its head from it's arse and realise that there should be a little professionalism in the being-a-juvenile-fuckstick industry.

Yes and yes.

Also probably illegal under NSW law, I suspect, for another reason - pre-recording then releasing an "interview" without the person's consent.

Saw Anonymous has posted a threatening video message directed at 2DAY FM. I thought their big thing was unimpeded free speech? Funny how that all goes down the shitter when it's something they personally disapprove of - such as Mastercard preventing its customers from donating to Wikileaks.

You guys are lucky you don't have to deal with this as your job. Thankfully I mostly cover ABC stuff which is boring but at least not idiotic.

Go home drunkface, you're drunk.

Not only did the judge find Slipper not guilty but said that Ashby has to pay his legal costs.

In his written judgment, Justice Rares said he believed Mr Ashby and fellow staff member Karen Doane had been working with former Howard government minister Mal Brough "to cause Mr Slipper as much political and public damage as they could inflict on him".

He described the pair's behaviour as "acts of calculated disloyalty".

"Once they had decided on their course of action, Mr Ashby and Ms Doane did not go straight to see a lawyer to air any concerns about any legal wrongs that either may have suffered," Justice Rares wrote.

"Instead, Mr Ashby or Ms Doane contacted Mr Brough and they began working with him and (News Limited journalist) Steve Lewis."

In July, Mr Brough won a preselection contest to run as the Liberal National Party's (LNP) candidate in Mr Slipper's Sunshine Coast electorate of Fisher.

Labor frontbencher Mark Dreyfus has called on the LNP to disendorse Mr Brough, describing his position as "untenable".

"The Liberal National Party of Queensland should hang their heads in shame for even having endorsed him as a candidate," he told reporters in Canberra.

However, the party appears to be standing by its candidate, with a statement from the LNP this afternoon saying Mr Brough "will provide a strong voice for the people of Fisher".

Mr Brough also released a statement in response to the court's ruling.

"I reiterate that I have at all times acted appropriately in relation to this matter and given the decision is subject to appeal I do not intend to make further comment."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-12/s … ut/4423284

I wonder if he's starting to acquire a taste for humble pie.

Silly bastard.

Bit late don't you think? Over seven years ago. I reckon it's pretty fucking meaningless, he hasn't learned a thing in that time.

Says it all really doesn't it.

I don't know what to think about the Slipper thing. He's clearly a bit of a scuzzbag judging from those text messages but if there was any sexual harassment towards Ashby it was clearly blown out of proportion. No doubt Ashby thought he could use it to gain favour and prestige in the Coalition and they were only too eager to fan it along. Never mind that Slipper was their trusted and backed man since the 80s, the bastard went and worked with the Government to their detriment! Jeeze, it's not like they were looking to kick him out of his seat and give it to Mal Brough-oh wait yes it was.

Makes me wonder how much weight to place on the Thomson matter. Seems like a bunch of character assassination bullshit to me. The Coalition is so damn quick to jump on anything without knowing the facts - look at the Julia Gillard Slater & Gordon thing. No-one knows anything for certain and the Coalition starts calling for resignations. Fuck 'em.

Reporter: Why haven’t you read the judgement on Mal Brough?

Tony: Because... I... Uh... am doing very important things… for the people of Australia… here in this country right now…

What a guy.

Jaekus wrote:

All politicians are hypocrites. He just makes it stupidly obvious.

Maybe that's a new angle he's pulling.

The "We are hypocrites, but I won't hide it" approach.