"I await the usual whines from the left -- "there goes Howard again, raving on about cricket."
Didn't have to wait long. Tuesday via Gareth via Crikey:
Northern Territory Treasurer Syd Stirling launched a colourful rave in Question Time on the day he delivered the massively subsidised Territory budget and talked up the government's tourism, infrastructure and lifestyle spending. Our favourite lines were as follows:
"The Territory's great lifestyle gets even better. We are supporting more major events than ever before. I talked this morning of the cricket to the BassInTheGrass. I wish Prime Minister Howard would get his head out of it, Madam Speaker. Now we have Muralitheran, the greatest wicket taker in the history of the game, saying he will not come because the Prime Minister has the insensitivity to call him a chucker, and he won't come. He is likely to deny Territorians the spectacle of witnessing the greatest ever bowler in the history of the game turning the ball out at Marrara. The Member for Nelson agrees. He knows that the Prime Minister should have shut his mouth when he doesn't know what he is talking about.
I spoke with the Sri Lankan Ambassador at a lunch here with the Foreign Minister a week and a bit ago and I said: 'Will you please ask Mr Muralitheran to come to Australia for this next test series because we in Darwin are looking forward to seeing the greatest bowler on our home turf' and he said: 'I speak to Murali on a regular basis and I will pass that on'. Now, that was prior to this turkey of a Prime Minister getting out there and calling him a chucker. I hope that damage can be undone, but that is what we are bringing to Darwin: test cricket in the form of Sri Lanka and the world's greatest ever wicket taker."
"Colourful rave"? "Our favourite lines"? Ridiculous! Syd's obviously a crank desperate to attract attention. How's it possible for his loudly slurped suck-job to be seen in a charitable light without any concomitant criticism? So much for Crikey being an independant watchdog. Sounds more like an undergrad ALP booster newsletter every day.
As for this....
'Will you please ask Mr Muralitheran to come to Australia for this next test series because we in Darwin are looking forward to seeing the greatest bowler on our home turf'
Good god! Given that Murali's presence will have rock all effect on local tourism, Syd's fawning sycophancy -- to a cheat and thief, mind you -- can only be explained by one reason, party-political opportunism.
I wonder, has anyone asked Mark Latham whether he thinks Murali chucks?
If Murali was a taxi driver, I bet his arm would be straight now!
Apparently Latham was a half decent cricketer in his youf, being a cranky medium/fast left hand bowler. Lower grades in the Sydney grade comp.
What would he say? CHUCKER!!!!
Posted by: DaveACT | 20 May 2004 at 17:07