6 May 2014

Student revolt on Q&A

| Canfan
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Anyone else watching the debacle on Q&A tonight?

I’m not a big fan of Christopher Pyne but wouldn’t have blamed him if he’d walked out, along with the rest of the panel.

I don’t feel like the behaviour does anything to benefit the cause of students, if anything would it perhaps be driving viewers to say ‘meh, increase the fees’?

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switch said :

dungfungus said :

It’s the “in your face” way that they protest that irks me.
They should read up on what happened at Kent State University about 40 years ago.

“Tin soldiers and Nixon coming…”

I recall that incident was about students protesting Nixon ordering troops into Cambodia. The song Ohio, composed by David Crosby (probably stoned when he wrote it) was released by Crosby Stills Nash and Young only days after the Ohio National Guard shootings. I think it is on their second album – most baby boomers would have a vinyl of this in the garage. Some baby boomers who have yet to grow up probably still play it as a battle cry against anything that they don’t agree with.
Ironic that we are now seeking to send people displaced by wars in Western Asia to Cambodia for re-settlement.

dungfungus said :

It’s the “in your face” way that they protest that irks me.
They should read up on what happened at Kent State University about 40 years ago.

“Tin soldiers and Nixon coming…”

54-11 said :

As a baby boomer, I am very pleased that the students stood up for what they believe in. I believe that Gen X students let go of activism and became far too complacent and institutionalised.

Hopefully these Gen Y students will encourage their future cohorts to again protest wherever they see things wrong, like my generation did during the Vietnam War, Apartheid, et al.

It’s the “in your face” way that they protest that irks me.
They should read up on what happened at Kent State University about 40 years ago.

dungfungus said :

bundah said :

dungfungus said :

I think Q&A’s days under Jones’s stewardship are numbered.

Tony Jones is one of Australia’s most respected journalists so I think it’s highly unlikely that he’s going anywhere.

No one else appears to agree with you BTW.

To be honest I couldn’t care less whether peeps agree with me or not. The fact is that Jones is a Walkley Award winning TV journo and as I understand it respected by his peers. Personally I quite like the way he conducts interviews and I suspect he’ll be around Q&A for quite a while.

As a baby boomer, I am very pleased that the students stood up for what they believe in. I believe that Gen X students let go of activism and became far too complacent and institutionalised.

Hopefully these Gen Y students will encourage their future cohorts to again protest wherever they see things wrong, like my generation did during the Vietnam War, Apartheid, et al.

Grrrr said :

dungfungus said :

No one else appears to agree with you BTW.

I don’t hear anyone here agreeing with you. I’ll even bet you real money that he’s still got the job in 6 months.

I’ll take that as a comment.
Well, maybe he isn’t as respected as he used to be. His partner who dominates 7.30 appears very ambitious so maybe she will take over.

dungfungus said :

No one else appears to agree with you BTW.

I don’t hear anyone here agreeing with you. I’ll even bet you real money that he’s still got the job in 6 months.

dungfungus said :

bundah said :

dungfungus said :

I think Q&A’s days under Jones’s stewardship are numbered.

Tony Jones is one of Australia’s most respected journalists so I think it’s highly unlikely that he’s going anywhere.

No one else appears to agree with you BTW.

“No one else” Sounds like the royal ‘we’.

bundah said :

dungfungus said :

I think Q&A’s days under Jones’s stewardship are numbered.

Tony Jones is one of Australia’s most respected journalists so I think it’s highly unlikely that he’s going anywhere.

No one else appears to agree with you BTW.

bundah said :

dungfungus said :

I think Q&A’s days under Jones’s stewardship are numbered.

Tony Jones is one of Australia’s most respected journalists so I think it’s highly unlikely that he’s going anywhere.

Clive Palmer used to tell Jones he was the greatest journalist in Australia.
Last time Jones was interviewing him Palmer told him to shut up (for constantly interrupting him).
Jones will always have his admirers but Q&A has become so predictable the only thing worth watching on it is the Tweets (which are more interesting than the Twits).
Also, Jones total acceptance of repeated foul language from a recent panelist has left a lot of people wondering about his values and standards.

Queen_of_the_Bun12:38 am 08 May 14

Jivrashia said :

Alf said :

It’s such a highly scripted show, the panel may as well have the questions in advance.

Correct me if I’m wrong but I was lead to believe that ALL interviews conducted on radios and TVs have the questions forwarded to the interviewee days in advance before recording (or live in case of Q&A).

Why you want to assault people with guerrilla questions?

You are wrong.

Yes, programs like Q&A will forward proposed topics to guests, usually by the Friday before the program.

But unless things have changed greatly under the Abbott government, it is just not possible (or desirable) to provide questions days or even hours in advance. The vast majority of interviews are lined up on the day in reaction to breaking news.

dungfungus said :

I think Q&A’s days under Jones’s stewardship are numbered.

Tony Jones is one of Australia’s most respected journalists so I think it’s highly unlikely that he’s going anywhere.

Jivrashia said :

Alf said :

It’s such a highly scripted show, the panel may as well have the questions in advance.

Correct me if I’m wrong but I was lead to believe that ALL interviews conducted on radios and TVs have the questions forwarded to the interviewee days in advance before recording (or live in case of Q&A).

Why you want to assault people with guerrilla questions?

I think that you are correct about content of the interview being known beforehand. This does not apply to the “doorstop” chats where journalists often get a scoop or the interviewee drops a faux pas.
Tony Jones says in the introduction of Q&A “…..where you ask the questions….” and then he proceeds to interupt a person being interviewed with an ambush question which hasn’t been put on notice. This is to make Jones look good (some of his peers admire him for this). He also asks some hypothetical questions that he seeks applause for the audience from but before the hapless interviewee has a chance to answer he says “we’ll move on now”.
Jones also dismisses ad hoc questions he doesn’t want to answer or refer to the panel by saying “I’ll take that as a comment”.
I think Q&A’s days under Jones’s stewardship are numbered.

Alf said :

It’s such a highly scripted show, the panel may as well have the questions in advance.

Correct me if I’m wrong but I was lead to believe that ALL interviews conducted on radios and TVs have the questions forwarded to the interviewee days in advance before recording (or live in case of Q&A).

Why you want to assault people with guerrilla questions?

It’s such a highly scripted show, the panel may as well have the questions in advance. Pyne showed he couldn’t handle it when the first or second questioner in the audience started calling out his c$#p during an answer. If it is just going to be a chance for answerers to regurgitate press releases then what’s the point? Our politicians, especially on the conservative side, are so feted by the media these days, I doubt many of them could hold a sensible conversation with a person in the street. They would be too scared. You may be right about their cause though. There was only one or two mainstream media stories before the show about the ridiculous suggestion from Pyne a US style tertiary education system was a good idea for Australia, but none after. More sympathy for their cause? Maybe not, but at least some extra attention to what the real issue might be.

Roksteddy said :

theword said :

Speaks volumes for our education system doesn’t it. Obviously civility isn’t in the curriculum these days.

Would you rather apathy?
Good on them for caring about their future, I say.

People as stupid as this have no future.

Every Q&A mentions at the beginning across the bottom of the screen how many of the audience are of what persuasion. Supposedly. I noticed that 80 per cent of the audience clapped the protestors. An inside job?

least it was interesting for once.

Clearly education cuts are already in place…their banner was backwards.

Eloise said :

Actually the thing I found most disturbing was John Roskam from the IPA using “we” when speaking about the government. The IPA is not part of our representative democracy yet their wish list from last years IPA dinner seems to have manifested into reality. For those who haven’t read it here it is. Feel free to tick them off as you go.

1 Repeal the carbon tax, and don’t replace it. It will be one thing to remove the burden of the carbon tax from the Australian economy. But if it is just replaced by another costly scheme, most of the benefits will be undone.

2 Abolish the Department of Climate Change

3 Abolish the Clean Energy Fund

4 Repeal Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act

View remaining 71 wish list items here

Obviously you never watch Insiders where the panel (usually Fairfax Media jounalists) not surprisingly include themselves as part of the Labor Party regularly.

Actually the thing I found most disturbing was John Roskam from the IPA using “we” when speaking about the government. The IPA is not part of our representative democracy yet their wish list from last years IPA dinner seems to have manifested into reality. For those who haven’t read it here it is. Feel free to tick them off as you go.

1 Repeal the carbon tax, and don’t replace it. It will be one thing to remove the burden of the carbon tax from the Australian economy. But if it is just replaced by another costly scheme, most of the benefits will be undone.

2 Abolish the Department of Climate Change

3 Abolish the Clean Energy Fund

4 Repeal Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act

View remaining 71 wish list items here

Madam Cholet2:18 pm 06 May 14

I agree that students particulalrly those on tv last night are revolting.

I’m all for protest, but at least wait to hear the answers before you unfurl your banner the wrong way round and start chanting phrases no one can understand.

Whatever someone’s views, you have to do them the courtesy of showing them respect, even if it is Christopher Pyne. He’s a minister earning a motza (not the only measure of success of course), and you are a rowdy student chanting incoherently and interrupting like an utter moron showing yourself to be uneducated and possibly unworthy of any further tax payer money.

Groups like GetUp! worked because they organised the rabble. Perhaps if they stated their case better it would have been more watchable.

Christopher Pyne looked to be in his element.

Funky1 said :

dungfungus said :

Roksteddy said :

dungfungus said :

theword said :

Speaks volumes for our education system doesn’t it. Obviously civility isn’t in the curriculum these days.

Would you rather apathy?

Good on them for caring about their future, I say.

You should do some research on how tough is was for uni students 40 – 50 years ago.
And young people only think about “now”, the future is an alien concept to them.

This comment ^^^ makes no sense. You mention the past then say that the future is an alien concept to them!!!

OK, I meant to say “young people today…..”

I concur with Jivrashia

But seriously, that was the most inappropriate, mindless, self-centred protest I’ve ever seen.

Rowdy protest and demonstration is an option for people to be heard when all other avenues have failed for them. Granted that there is definitely a right time and place for that.

But then here is a venue, appropriately titled QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, where their fellow students had the opportunity to pitch hard questions at Pyne, and then they lambaste the whole thing.

Was this a demonstration to show how much their education had failed them such that they’d come up with such a moronic idea?

Get a brain! Morans

Yelling to drown out discussions only antagonises people. Such behaviour always has been and always will be stupid.

dungfungus said :

Roksteddy said :

dungfungus said :

theword said :

Speaks volumes for our education system doesn’t it. Obviously civility isn’t in the curriculum these days.

Would you rather apathy?

Good on them for caring about their future, I say.

You should do some research on how tough is was for uni students 40 – 50 years ago.
And young people only think about “now”, the future is an alien concept to them.

This comment ^^^ makes no sense. You mention the past then say that the future is an alien concept to them!!!

Roksteddy said :

dungfungus said :

theword said :

Speaks volumes for our education system doesn’t it. Obviously civility isn’t in the curriculum these days.

Would you rather apathy?

Good on them for caring about their future, I say.

You should do some research on how tough is was for uni students 40 – 50 years ago.
And young people only think about “now”, the future is an alien concept to them.

theword said :

Speaks volumes for our education system doesn’t it. Obviously civility isn’t in the curriculum these days.

Would you rather apathy?
Good on them for caring about their future, I say.

VYBerlinaV8_is_back9:31 am 06 May 14

It’s always fun seeing d*ckheads in the wild.

Reminded me of the demo’s in the ’70s which were a sight to behold. No harm done and great for ratings.

theword said :

Does anyone know where the protestors were from? I heard on ABC radio this morning that they were from the Socialist Alternative, but then I read an article in the SMH saying it was organised by the Education Action Group from the University of Sydney? In either case, they acted like numpties!

They were from Australia unfortunately.
Speaks volumes for our education system doesn’t it. Obviously civility isn’t in the curriculum these days.
The morons even unfurled their banner the wrong way around.
Jones should review security after the shoe thrower and now this.

Does anyone know where the protestors were from? I heard on ABC radio this morning that they were from the Socialist Alternative, but then I read an article in the SMH saying it was organised by the Education Action Group from the University of Sydney? In either case, they acted like numpties!

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