'Mr Chantelois' welcomes Mike Rann to London

[stumpjumper]

Mike Rann, sacked by the Labor Party in SA for poor performance politically and plummeting personal reputation has been rewarded by the Labor Party with one of the best jobs in the world - Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.

Mike will live in the rather super High Commissioner's residence, Stoke Lodge. In this vast and luxurious mansion, set in one of the leafiest and most exclusive parts of London, Mike will enjoy the attentions of numerous staff, ready to attend to his every need.

Unfortunately, Rick Phillips arrived in London first. Mr Phillips is the jilted ex-husband of Michelle Chantelois, the parliamentary dining room waitress with whom Rann began a relationship in 2005. Mr Phillips has taken his scrapbook to London to spread the word about the character of the new High Commissioner, with stories of the married Mike Rann's infidelities with Michelle Chantelois, and with his former personal assistant, Jennifer Rankine, who on the breakup of their relationship was rewarded by the Labor Party with a parliamentary seat and a ministry. Ms Rankine celebrated by starting a relationship with the Labor member for Croydon, Michael Atkinson.

[Nathan]

Is this Sensational Adelaide, or New Idea?

[dsriggs]

Gutter trash, even for you

[crawf]

Give it up stumpjumper

[rev]

Isn't the SA Politics thread enough, mr "anonymous" Liberal party member?

[cruel_world00]

Is this Sensational Adelaide, or New Idea?

Sensationalist Adelaide?

[claybro]

"Jobs for the boys" is nothing new and happens on all sides of politics. But you do have to admire Mr Phillips handling of the whole affair. He sure exposed teflon Mike, where the insipid Adelaide media could not!

[stumpjumper]

My post was pretty grubby, but I've got a reputation to keep up. Apart from anything else, it's funny (at Rann's expense).

The previous poster is quite right. All sides of politics provide jobs for the boys (and girls), although you'd hope that there is at least sufficient merit to warrant the appointment.

If Rann's mates don't think he's good enough to represent the ALP to South Australians, how is he good enough to represent Australia to Britain? Plus the job needs discretion, hardly Rann's strong point.

I'm not a Liberal plant, by the way. That party's got some serious internal problems to deal with before it wins my support.

For what it's worth, my vote for the job of High Commissioner to the UK would go to Eric Neal, who has a far more impressive CV for the job than Rann. He's getting on a bit, but they have lifts at stately Stoke House.

[claybro]

I think Mike should do well in London. His waffle in that lolly in the mouth British/Kiwi/Australian accent should go down well. And it keeps him out of SA.I used to cringe evertime he got up to preach his sermons to the press.(only the good news mind you) And just in case anyone thinks I am anti labor? I think the new team, in particular Jay are doing a great job in trying times. Jay is calm, speaks well and is not frightened to front up for the bad news.

[Matt]

Dull.

[SRW]

This shit has no place on S-A.

[claybro]

This shit has no place on S-A.

Given there is a thread on here discussing Big Brother, I would have thought the more "sensational"aspects of our former premier is very discussion worthy.

[stumpjumper]

It would be interesting to see an exposé of the way the Rann government operated during its last few years. With attempts to control the media from the all-powerful Office of Premier and Cabinet, the erratic even lurid behaviour of senior ministers, the Premier included, the overt control of policy by unrepresentatrive union factions and the cynical co-opting of non-Labor parliamentarians to Cabinet no less in order to achieve government, and it's no surprise that commentary like mine arises.

You won't read about it in the mainstream media, but you didn't read, until they had been going on for long enough to become common water cooler topics, about major public issues from the Statre Bank disaster to the dodgy appointment of the now discredited Robyn McLeod as SA Commissioner vfor Water Security.

It's not all the fault of timid media. Defamation laws are strong in Australia, and Mike Rann in particular was known to be able to demand and get the sacking of journalists who asked hard questions. Michael Owen is a typical case. What's more, South Australians are too forgiving of their governments. Perhaps we are slow to anger. Maybe we're just too polite. Next time you go to Sydney, listen for car horns being used in the city. It's almost continuous, yet in Adelaide, it's rare to hear one, despite our having some of the nation's most infuriating drivers.

My point is that especially in SA, ratbags in the blogosphere and the non-tradtional media have a role to play in a complacent state like SA. So don't throw out the baby with the bathwater, no master how unpleasant and murky the water is.

[Wayno]

Next time you go to Sydney, listen for car horns being used in the city. It's almost continuous, yet in Adelaide, it's rare to hear one, despite our having some of the nation's most infuriating drivers.

Perhaps ones driving skills are the cause of nearby & constant horn usage? having lived in Sydney for 12 years i rarely heard such - taxi drivers excluded.

[monotonehell]

Next time you go to Sydney, listen for car horns being used in the city. It's almost continuous, yet in Adelaide, it's rare to hear one, despite our having some of the nation's most infuriating drivers.

Perhaps ones driving skills are the cause of nearby & constant horn usage? having lived in Sydney for 12 years i rarely heard such - taxi drivers excluded.

Stumpy's quite right. Here's a short video of Sydney during lunch rush period...