Well done, Fran
Fran Kelly
Some political journalists and commentators are still finding it very hard to come to terms with the fact that the Rudd Government has been largely about stunts, symbolism and meaningless gestures. ABC radio presenter and former Canberra press gallery journalist Fran Kelly provided another great example of this on Network Ten’s Meet the Press on Sunday.
Presenter Paul Bongiorno introduced a video clip of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd delivering a “clarification” of his idea for an “Asian community” by 2020:
“Let us be clear about what an Asia-Pacific community is not – it is not a monetary union, or even a customs union. And certainly not a political union,” Mr Rudd said.
ABC radio presenter and MTP panellist Fran Kelly immediately followed up the Rudd grab with this incredible question to program guest, Shadow Foreign Minister Andrew Robb:
FRAN KELLY, ABC RADIO: Mr Robb, It’s not a lot of things, this union Kevin Rudd has been talking about. As an ideal, it’s not a bad one, is it? At least if we start having a conversation about security cooperation in this region.
Fran Kelly’s pleading was received by Robb with the contempt it deserved. He replied:
Andrew Robb on MTP
What it is is an embarrassment. I’ve been around the region in the last two or three months, and everyone avoids it. They’re embarrassed – they don’t know what he’s talking – again, we saw the other day, we heard what it was not. I looked at that speech, you know, very hard to try and find out, What is he on about? It said nothing about what it is! People are scratching their head around the region. They don’t want to talk about it because they don’t really know what it is. If they think it’s a European Union for Asia, they certainly don’t what that. You know, and I think the Prime Minister – he has been caught out. It was a stunt. He did say before the election that he thought Asia should have a European-style union, eventually, in the region. So that was in his head. He is now running away from it at 100 miles an hour. It’s an embarrassment, and he ought to move on.
