Labor’s Black Knight moments
Piers Akerman – Thursday, March 21, 2013 (8:17pm)
SPEAKER Anna Burke succinctly nailed the Australian political situation when she declared it was becoming “Monty Pythonesque”.
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Labor, Greens drowning in media wrangle
Piers Akerman – Thursday, March 21, 2013 (4:57am)
THE tide of lunacy and despair that is drowning the Gillard Government may reach a peak today.
Julia Gillard’s fight for her own political life is now hopelessly entangled with the government’s own draconian attempt to impose regulation on the media.
Communications minister Stephen Conroy’s push to ramrod the legislation through parliament by close of business today appears to be doomed.
Only Labor and the Greens, and perhaps the disgraced former Speaker Peter Slipper, seem still wedded to the idea, and many Labor MPs say they wish they were not locked into supporting the plan.
The Greens have turned on former member and candidate, Andrew Wilkie, attacking him as a weakling.
But the Tasmanian Independent has ruled out backing the Labor legislation and dismissed the personal insults leveled at him by Greens leader Christine Milne.
“These reforms are rushed and poorly constructed,” he said in a statement.
“Frankly this is a shambles of the government’s own making and no reasonable person could expect quality decisions to be made in these circumstances.”
The increasingly hysterical Milne said Wilkie must “step up” and show he would not “allow Rupert Murdoch to run the Parliament”.
“The question is has Andrew Wilkie got the backbone to stand up to the bullies?” she said.
The government needs the support of at least four crossbenchers to have its four remaining media bills clear the lower house.
So far, only Greens MP Adam Bandt and independent Peter Slipper have indicated they will support the government.
A third crossbencher, Tony Windsor, is expected to also back Labor.
But the government has failed to win the support of Wilkie, Rob Oakeshott, Bob Katter and Craig Thomson, whose opposition will be neutralised by the coalition’s determination not to accept the suspended Labor MP’s vote.
Katter has shown his ignorance, or perhaps political stupidity, by suggesting a compromise that would see the government-appointed Public Interest Media Advocate replaced with a three-man committee.
(Memo to Katter, it doesn’t matter if the government appoints one person or a dozen to the overseer’s role. Government oversight remains Government oversight and is just as repellant.)
The Coalition highlighted Gillard and her government’s lack of authority by calling on the government to recall Parliament for another week in order to allow proper scrutiny of the proposed media laws.
Manager of opposition business Christopher Pyne said Labor was in “shambles” and was so focused on internal leadership matters it was not allowing sufficient time to rake over the media legislation and 17 other bills currently before Parliament.
“Parliament should sit next week because we need to debate the media laws,” he said.
“The government is completely focused internally.”
“The government is completely focused internally.”
Labor immediately rejected the call to return Parliament.
Leader of the House Anthony Albanese said MPs should not return next week, even if there was still uncertainty over the media bills.
“We have a sitting schedule and we will be sticking to it,” a spokesman for Albanese said.
Gillard attempted to negotiate with the key crossbenchers, failed, and handed the talks back to Conroy.
Labor MPs have been told to be prepared to sit late today over media reforms and not book early flights home.
Pyne has also hit out at Mr Windsor and other independent MPs who he said were keeping Julia Gillard’s government alive.
“They are presiding over this shambles, they are keeping the Labor party in office,” he said.
“Quite frankly this is no way to run a country and the independents are just as responsible for this as the government is.”
Labor MPs are floundering.
Those opposed to Gillard can’t muster the courage to tap her on the shoulder, Kevin Rudd insists he won’t challenge (his ego won’t permit him to accept the leadership unless it is offered to him).
There is talk of presenting a petition of one-third of Caucus members but MPs are reluctant to come out of the shadows.
Parliament rises for six weeks at close of business but whatever the outcome of Labor’s thrashing, the party and the Greens will be forever stained by their attempts to muzzle the media.
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SPILLARD
Tim Blair – Thursday, March 21, 2013 (1:05pm)
Simon Crean is calling on Julia Gillard to hold a vote on all leadership positions; says Kevin Rudd has no option but to run. When and if a vote is held, Crean says he’ll back the former PM. He also says he’ll resign if Gillard wins.
UPDATE. Grace Collier:
Caucus going to drag Gillard out of office by her feet. Claw marks in the carpet.
UPDATE II. Much of Crean’s press conference, still underway, echoes these points:
Labor could do worse than re-examining a time when grownups were in charge. Three decades ago, Bob Hawke began a nine-year run as Prime Minister based around policies and processes that spoke directly to middle Australia. Outside of policies, Hawke’s style of government was generally straightforward and rational. Voters could easily relate not just to the government’s ideas, but to how those ideas were put in place.Compare Hawke’s years to the mayhem of Labor first under Kevin Rudd and now Gillard. The policies (carbon tax, mining tax, house insulation, school halls) are bad enough, but these governments have also pitched their messages way outside of the mainstream.
UPDATE III. Flashback to 2011:
Ten weeks ago Paul Howes declared he would bet his house on Julia Gillard leading Labor to the next election.Yesterday the boyish-looking boss of one of Australia’s most powerful unions was holding fast to that position. ‘’Absolutely’’, he would still stake his house on Ms Gillard, Mr Howes told the Herald.
UPDATE IV. Gillard will hold a leadership vote at 4.30pm.
UPDATE V. This morning, prior to Crean’s leadership call:
Mr Crean, who has been reported as having switched his loyalty to Mr Rudd, said Labor MPs should rally behind Ms Gillard.“The party should unite behind her as the prime minister,” he said.Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said Ms Gillard had “overwhelming support” in caucus.“There is not going to be a leadership spill,” he told reporters.
What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.
UPDATE VI. Crean sacked by Gillard. Happy Harmony Day, Laboreenies!
UPDATE VII. Rudd ISN’T RUNNING.
UPDATE VIII. No vote required. Gillard remains as Prime Minister, Swan remains deputy. Stabilidy!
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THUS FAR AND NO FURTHER
Tim Blair – Thursday, March 21, 2013 (11:31am)
The Spectator‘s impressive response to Britain’s new journalism regulations:
UPDATE. Regarding Australia’s proposed media regulations, the ABC now reports:
Good.
UPDATE. Regarding Australia’s proposed media regulations, the ABC now reports:
Good.
UPDATE II. Further on Labor’s latest debacle:
The Federal government will withdraw the remaining four media reform bills from parliament.The move comes after a strong, often controversial campaign by The Daily Telegraph against the proposed changes that generated global media coverage and debate.
Commence the weeping.
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THERE GOES THE SUN
Tim Blair – Thursday, March 21, 2013 (11:16am)
Formerly the world’s largest producer of solar panels, Suntech now hits the wall:
Suntech bankrupt as top PV manufacturers lost over $2bn in 2012
Solar gives you some independence. You are not beholden to a system that just puts the costs up every year; you’re in control of your own future that way.
Tell it to the manufacturers, sun boy.
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Bsottom line: Abbott wins big
Andrew BoltMARCH212013(8:04pm)
It couldn’t have worked out better for Tony Abbott.
Labor is still led by Julia Gillard, electoral poison.
Kevin Rudd, Labor’s only hope, has been badly wounded.
Both are still in the Labor party, guaranteeing further instability.
And Labor loses one of its few adults in the Ministry. Bye Bye Simon Crean.
Bye bye Labor.
Couldn’t have suited Abbott more.
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Rudd says he won’t stand. Gillard wins
Andrew BoltMARCH212013(4:19pm)
Kevin Rudd talks to the media on the way to the party meeting to discuss the leadership.
He says he was serious in vowing not to challenge Julia Gillard again.
He says no one has drafted him, and therefore “i will therefore adhere to my word.”
“I take my word seriously.”
Urges colleagues to “unite”.
This means the numbers were not there - or it means he’s preparing the ground should he be drafted, after all, and need to show his hands are clean.
Two of his votes were away - Bob Carr in the US and Dick Adams.
But if he emerges from the party meeting still a backbencher, all Labor has gained from today is more pain for zero gain.
Absolute farce.
UPDATE
Anthony Albanese on the way to the Caucus meeting:
Julia Gillard will remain as Prime Minister after this meeting.
The Coalition will be so relieved.
UPDATE
Gillard and Swan are the only nominations for the two leadership positions. Both therefore keep their jobs.
UPDATE
Joel Fitzgibbon offers to quit as chief whip if that helps unity.
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Incidentally, your press remains free
Andrew BoltMARCH212013(4:10pm)
In smaller headlines today, a story more profound than who will lead Labor to defeat:
LABOR has killed off its controversial media reforms after failing to secure the numbers to rush them through parliament, raising questions over Julia Gillard’s handling of the policy at a delicate point in her leadership.
Yes, we dodged a bullet - state control over the private media.
But how shameful that it came down to just a single vote. How disgusting that the attempt was made with the support of so many journalists.
PS: the word “reform” in that story is a very bad use of the English language.
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And Crean is one of the more trustworthy in Labor
Andrew BoltMARCH212013(3:53pm)
Simon Crean in February last year:
Crean on Monday:
Crean this morning:
You stop the stalemate by getting people to pull back, understand it is in our interests to act in a more unified way… The party should unite behind her as the prime minister...
Crean this afternoon:
If the prime minister does not agree to it (a spill), which I expect she won’t, then I urge members of caucus to petition in the appropriate way for the calling of such a meeting…
Who trusts any of them?
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Crean calls for spill
Andrew BoltMARCH212013(1:19pm)
The leadership showdown is on. Simon Crean is calling a leadership spill. He will stand for a leadership position, and calls on Kevin Rudd to break his word and challenge.
They cannot go on like this, he says.
It seems the Rudd/Crean fix is in.
UPDATE
No, there is no deal.
Crean says Rudd has another deputy in mind, but Crean is putting himself as deputy - presumably as a watchdog to see if Rudd really has changed.
Schemozzle.
Crean says Gillard is refusing to call a spill. MPs must petition her.
UPDATE
Gillard sacks Crean. Isn’t budging. Numbers seem tight.
UPDATE
This morning:
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said Ms Gillard had “overwhelming support” in caucus.”There is not going to be a leadership spill,” he told reporters.
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Labor hopelessly split. Crean in talks with Rudd
Andrew BoltMARCH212013(10:02am)
The Liberals couldn’t be happier about this stalemate:
Rudd backer and former Labor powerbroker Graham Richardson claimed Mr Rudd had 49 votes, Ms Gillard 44 and that nine were undecided…An analysis by The Australian Financial Review based on exhaustive canvassing of the caucus and number crunchers on both sides estimated Mr Rudd’s support at between 37 and 46 votes. A caucus majority is 52 votes.
UPDATE
Simon Benson reports a defection from the Gillard camp:
Sources in the Rudd camp confirmed a deal was being brokered which could see Mr Crean back Mr Rudd to take back the leadership and serve as deputy prime minister.
Another Gillard supporter lashes out:
A LABOR MP has called on chief government whip Joel Fitzgibbon to resign if the day ends without a successful leadership challenge against Julia Gillard.Queensland backbencher Graham Perrett said this morning it was the job of the chief whip to ‘’have the Prime Minister’s back’’ and given his comments yesterday he and other Kevin Rudd supporters should ‘’resign or resign’’ come 5pm today.‘’If he can’t be loyal to the Prime Minister he needs to resign,’’ Mr Perrett said.Mr Fitzgibbon, a Kevin Rudd backer, yesterday gave an interview about the leadership speculation and said it would be ‘’silly” to suggest nothing was going on.
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And Torbay seemed so independent and nice…
Andrew BoltMARCH212013(9:29am)
When did politics in Australia look more tawdry?:
Mr Torbay resigned from the NSW Parliament on Wednesday in dramatic circumstances after being forced to quit as the Nationals’ candidate for New England to take on independent MP Tony Windsor.While the precise reason for Mr Torbay’s resignation from Parliament remains unclear, it is serious enough to have been referred by the Nationals to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.It is understood the decision of the Nationals to remove Mr Torbay as their candidate is related to Labor funding of Mr Torbay’s campaigns against their candidates.The Herald can reveal that one of the largest property developers in the Northern Tablelands, Phil Hanna, is a first cousin of Mr Obeid’s wife, Judy.
The night before Eddie Obeid helped topple NSW Premier Nathan Rees in December 2009, the Labor powerbroker had a catch-up scheduled with one of his unofficial allies, Richard Torbay.
UPDATE
SENIOR Labor Party sources have confirmed it was disgraced former powerbroker Eddie Obeid who offered then-independent MP Richard Torbay the NSW speaker’s chair in 2007.Labor figures came forward yesterday to suggest Mr Torbay was given the speakership in 2007 as a pay-off for voting with Labor.
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Gillard leads Labor not just to defeat but dishonor
Andrew BoltMARCH212013(8:59am)
JULIA Gillard isn’t just leading Labor to defeat. She is stripping the party of honour, leaving it with a legacy of shame.
The next election is lost. What the Prime Minister is doing now in her fury and selfish desperation is making Labor unelectable at the following election as well.
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So who doesn’t understand economics?
Andrew BoltMARCH212013(8:44am)
Julia Gillard yesterday:
Ken Henry in February, 2010:
TREASURY boss Ken Henry has declared the global financial crisis is overas Australia’s unemployment rate fell to an 11-month low.
(Thanks to reader Gab.)
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Apologise for yourself
Andrew BoltMARCH212013(8:26am)
Politicians of both sides have become expert at sanctimoniously apologising for things done by anyone but themselves:
No sorry is as profound as that said by the perpetrator. Politicians now want the kudos that comes from saying sorry without the odium of confessing to error.
Too easy.
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My city is full enough, thanks
Andrew BoltMARCH212013(8:18am)
Do we really want or need growth this fast? The traffic is already now bad enough:
The 23 millionth person is more likely to be a migrant than a new baby, experts estimate.Federal government figures show overseas arrivals account for more than half of Australia’s population growth, outstripping the natural increase from births since 2005.
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British newspapers fight back, too
Andrew BoltMARCH212013(7:57am)
Downing Street and Labour were on Tuesday insisting that an increasingly rebellious newspaper industry will eventually sign up to the new system of press regulation backed by parliament on Monday, hinting that opinion polls and fiscal incentives will force the newspaper industry to realise the dangers of rejecting it.But the newspaper groups appeared to be moving to boycott the new system, and with a split emerging between the publishers of the Sun and the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph, which could raise the prospect of the remaining newspaper groups, including the Financial Times, the Guardian and the Independent, being the only titles regulated by the new government-backed watchdog.The Spectator’s Fraser Nelson and Ian Hislop of Private Eye have become the first magazine editors to decline to join the proposed press regulator. Local newspapers and magazines could also set up on their own, insiders have warned, while Scotland is also threatening a separate system.There is dismay in cabinet circles at the way in which the deal appeared to have been sealed in a meeting between Cameron’s policy adviser, Oliver Letwin, the deputy prime minster, Nick Clegg, the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, and members of the pro-Leveson lobby group Hacked Off in Miliband’s office early on Monday morning.
What seems lost in the debate is that the ostensible excuse for new media controls - the phone hacking scandal and claims of police being bribed for information - involved conduct already illegal, with journalists already being prosecuted.
Whatever differences Tory prime minister David Cameron, his Liberal Democrat deputy Nick Clegg and Labour leader Ed Miliband might have had were ultimately less important than what they shared: an acceptance of the need to curb the press. The result was, as predicted on spiked last week, a case of ‘stitching up press freedom behind closed doors’, in a late-night meeting between Clegg, Miliband, Cameron’s lackeys and the Hacked Off crusaders which arrived at a messy compromise of a royal charter backed by statute.
Hume lists some of the lies deployed to sell the censorship:
1) That not living in Zimbabe is something to celebrate4) That Ed Miliband is a ‘hero’Tory supporters of the deal cheered after prime minister Cameron assured us, ‘Let me be clear: this is not by any stretch statutory regulation of the press’....But the fact that we do not have a state-controlled media along the lines of Zimbabwe or North Korea does not mean that we have a free press. There are already scores of statutes impinging on press freedom in the UK, from our execrable libel laws to the 2010 Bribery Act that has helped create what one editor calls an ‘ice age’ of investigative journalism. Now the ‘independent’ new regulator, established by a royal charter backed by statute, will further extend state intervention in the affairs of the press, and cast an even longer official shadow over freedom of expression, with the power to rewrite the journalists’ code, order the press to publish front-page corrections, and impose million-pound fines…On the other side of parliament, nerdy Labour leader Ed Miliband has been hailed as a ‘hero’ by his small band of groupies in the liberal media, for supposedly taking a brave stand against the press and the mighty Murdoch Empire in particular to fight for press regulation. In fact, like all the supposedly high-minded crusaders for press regulation, Miliband has been motivated by base political self-interest. Does anybody truly believe that the likes of Miliband and Labour MP Tom Watson, Gordon Brown’s former fixer, would have pursued their crusade so zealously if the Murdoch press had remained loyal to Brown’s New Labour government at the last General Election?In claiming credit for the stitch-up of press freedom, Miliband has demonstrated that Labour and the rump of the left are now not only the most despicably illiberal and anti-free speech force in British politics, but are also proud of that badge of infamy.7) That press regulation is only about curbing Murdoch and CoSupporters of press regulation insisted again this week that their aim is not to limit free speech, but only to curb the excesses of the Big Media, as best represented by Rupert Murdoch’s empire. But whatever anybody thinks of Murdoch or his newspapers, attempts to curb the freedom of the press can only have serious consequences for us all.As my book demonstrates, hatred of the ‘popular’ press and the ‘mass’ media has always been a thinly veiled code for expressing an elitist fear and loathing of the populace/masses who consume them. Limiting the freedom of the press is about limiting what the people are allowed to see, read, and even think. The ostensible target might be Big Media, but the real one is the Big Public.And the current proposals for press regulation reach far beyond the big media monopolies, dragging any print or online publication that carries news or opinion into the regulators’ net. That means spiked, as well as the Sun. Freedom of expression remains indivisible, and we defend it for all or none at all…10) That the press is too free and needs a tough new regulator at allThis is the Big Lie, the major myth that has been at the heart of the entire discussion around the phone-hacking scandal and the Leveson Inquiry. Whatever their differences over procedures, all sides of politics – and many in the media – have effectively accepted that the British press has been too free to run wild and so must be reined in and tamed.It would be far truer to say, however, that the press is already neither free nor open enough, even before a new regulator is imposed to chastise it further. There might be many problems with the British media. None of them is going to be solved by more regulations and restrictions on freedom that can only reinforce an atmosphere of conformism and create a more sanitised press.
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What Cyprus should tell our Left
Andrew BoltMARCH212013(7:30am)
THE Cyprus fiasco teaches a terrific - but often forgotten - lesson to every social planner of the Left.
That fiasco is the astonishing decision to steal up to 10 per cent from every bank deposit in Cyprus to help fund a bailout of that country’s banks.
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Switching off Gillard as she screams the house down
Andrew BoltMARCH212013(7:22am)
JUST like any other day or night, the big screen television in the Qantas business lounge in Melbourne was set on the Sky News channel a few weeks ago when the Prime Minister began her speech at the Rooty Hill rally.After a couple of minutes, one female passenger decided she couldn’t take it any longer and asked staff to change the channel. When staff obliged, other passengers burst into spontaneous applause and cheered.
Absolutely trashing the brand:
Under her leadership the government has declared war on foreign workers, the media, miners, single parents, the rich, and business groups generally. Without producing any discernible benefit.
And count Savva among the many journalists who believe Bob Carr lied in denying reports he’d given up on Gillard:
Who believes Carr when he says he has not discussed the leadership with his colleagues, or any of his intimates? Nobody. Who believes he had never expressed an opinion on how the government was travelling? Again, nobody.
Dennis Shanahan says even the crossbenchers and Greens seem to have stopped listening to Gillard, who couldn’t even get them to save her media changes - and her leadership:
The attempt to ram through contentious media reforms in just over a week failed on many counts: the detailed policy was hatched without real consultation; cabinet discussion was a farce; the policy itself was deeply flawed; the politics smacked of pointless vengeance from a dying government; Gillard personally took up the fight and failed; and all the antagonism remains.Coming after the quick-order policy and revenue failure of the mining tax and the xenophobic corruption of the temporary worker program, any collapse of the government’s media reforms accentuates and personalises Gillard’s failure of leadership.
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Did the Labor machine trick MPs into dumping Rudd?
Andrew BoltMARCH212013(7:11am)
CRITICAL internal Labor polling - taken on the eve of Kevin Rudd’s political assassination - revealed a rebound in popularity for the PM and suggested Labor could still have won an election in 2010 under his leadership.But the polling was kept a secret from Mr Rudd, most senior ministers and the majority of the Labor caucus for fear it could have unravelled plans for the coup which was already well under way.The secret polling contradicted the Labor Party research used at the time to convince Labor MPs to replace Mr Rudd…The survey was conducted ... in the marginal South Australian seat of Kingston. The results had started to filter back to Labor officials on the night of the leadership coup.They showed ... that the swing against Labor was no-where near as dire as was being suggested to Labor MPs, with only a 0.5 per cent swing against the federal government in that marginal seat.
Labor’s national secretary at the time was Karl Bitar, now working for James Packer. He should be asked to comment.
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Katter wants journalists stopped from repeating his bigotry
Andrew BoltMARCH212013(6:43am)
Bob Katter ran the most vilely homophobic campaign ads at the Queensland state election. Now he now wants more state control over the right of journalists to express themselves - controls that would certainly punish journalists who expressed themselves as Katter has done.
But, with luck, even Katter’s “compromise” on the Gillard Government’s media muzzle - a massive and unelected state bureaucracy to impose what will inevitably be groupthink, enforced by punishment-by-process - will fail.
Queensland MP Bob Katter said [a Public Interest Media Advocate] was “thoroughly repulsive” because it gave the government a role in overseeing the press, prompting him to suggest a panel of experts instead.Publishers oppose the PIMA on the grounds that it would have broad discretion to reject the way the Australian Press Council rules on complaints, triggering “nuclear” penalties against publishers to remove privacy exemptions crucial to journalism.Mr Katter emerged from his talks with Ms Gillard to demand the advocate be replaced by a commission of three members appointed by a panel of 12 people, some nominated by the media union, APC and the council responsible for Australia Day honours.While this would put greater distance between the government and the PIMA, it failed to gain support from other independents, with the Greens saying it was under consideration rather than confirmed. Mr Wilkie welcomed Mr Katter’s proposal but said it did not resolve enough of the wider problems in the bills to make them worth voting for. NSW independent Rob Oakeshott held to his position of not supporting any of the bills and former Labor MP Craig Thomson has said he would not support them either.Greens MP Adam Bandt is expected to vote for the changes but The Australian understands Mr Windsor remained undecided late yesterday while former Liberal MP Peter Slipper would not indicate his position.Labor has 71 of the 150 members in the lower house, including the Speaker, Anna Burke, whose vote comes into play only if there is a tie.The government would need its 70 votes, as well as those of Mr Katter, Mr Slipper, Mr Windsor and Mr Bandt, to have any chance of legislating the reforms.
Again. where is the problem that all this is meant to fix?
What Katter seems unable to grasp is that apart from the many laws already restraining journalists, not least the oppressive ones on defamation, there is a control that managed to eventually force an apology even from Katter for his ad.
It is public opinion. The media is always in the dock of public opinion, which is the one supreme and legitimate arbiter. If the public hates what a newspaper does, that newspaper will eventually fail.
These media controls are proposed by people who distrust and fear the public and believe it should be guided by the political class.
No wonder these proposed controls are backed by the Left.
UPDATE
Yesterday opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull questioned the performance of Senator Conroy during question time, asking the Prime Minister whether she still had confidence in her minister.“(The) Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy has presided over a $4.7 billion broadband tender that collapsed, a National Broadband Network that promised to pass 1.3 million premises by 30 June this year and is unlikely to reach even 15 per cent of that number, a compulsory internet filter that was abandoned, an Australia Network tender that was sabotaged and now a media regulation proposal that has crippled the government,” Mr Turnbull said.
UPDATE
ABC radio host Jon Faine, a state media employee, wonders this morning why we don’t force people to get a licence before they’re allowed to write:
It has always surprised me that anyone can practice journalism in Australia.
Bloody scary. I suggest we remove Jon’s licence until he agrees not to promote tyrannical ideas.
UPDATE
It was striking to see in the parliamentary committee this week Labor and Green politicians referring to particular columns or editorials they disagreed with. The context was meant to be an inquiry about the structural regulation of the media. Citing perfectly mainstream columns they simply didn’t like suggested media regulation would be influenced by these dislikes. Manifestly, this is a terrible way to arrive at government regulation. It is a naked example of politics intimidating a free and independent institution.In Australia, most culture-forming activity is ultimately funded by the state. As well as the ABC there are the government-funded universities and the countless journals, blogs, publishing houses and the like that the ABC and the universities run. The commercial media are perhaps the only really independent, big culture-forming institutions wholly beyond the endless, hydraulic ideological pressure that comes from government funding.
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March 21: World Down Syndrome Day; Naw-Rúz (Bahá'í calendar);Mother's Day in the Arab world; Independence Day in Namibia (1990)
- 1871 – Founder of the German Empire Otto von Bismarck was proclaimed as its first Chancellor.
- 1913 – Over 360 were killed and 20,000 homes destroyed in the Great Dayton Flood in Dayton, Ohio.
- 1937 – A police squad, acting under orders from Governor of Puerto Rico Blanton Winship, opened fire on demonstrators protesting the arrest of Puerto Rican Nationalist leader Pedro Albizu Campos, killing 17 people and injuring over 200 others.
- 1945 – World War II: Bulgaria and the Soviet Union successfully defended the north bank of the Drava River as the Battle of the Transdanubian Hills concluded.
- 1963 – Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary on Alcatraz Island (pictured)in San Francisco Bay, California—one of the world's most notorious and best known prisons—was closed.
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Events
- 537 – Siege of Rome: King Vitiges attempts to assault the northern and eastern city walls, but is repulsed at the Praenestine Gate, known as the Vivarium, by the defenders under the Byzantine generals Bessas and Peranius.
- 717 – Battle of Vincy between Charles Martel and Ragenfrid.
- 1152 – Annulment of the marriage of King Louis VII of France and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine.
- 1188 – Emperor Antoku accedes to the throne of Japan.
- 1413 – Henry V becomes King of England.
- 1556 – In Oxford, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer is burned at the stake.
- 1788 – A fire in New Orleans leaves most of the town in ruins.
- 1800 – With the church leadership driven out of Rome during an armed conflict, Pius VII is crowned Pope in Venice with a temporary papal tiara made of papier-mâché.
- 1801 – The Battle of Alexandria is fought between British and French forces near the ruins of Nicopolis in Egypt.
- 1804 – Code Napoléon is adopted as French civil law.
- 1814 – Napoleonic Wars: Austrian forces repel French troops in the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube.
- 1821 – Greek War of Independence: First revolutionary act in the monastery of Agia Lavra, Kalavryta.
- 1844 – The Bahá'í calendar begins. This is the first day of the first year of the Bahá'í calendar. It is annually celebrated by members of the Bahá'í Faith as the Bahá'í New Year or Náw-Rúz.
- 1857 – An earthquake in Tokyo, Japan kills over 100,000.
- 1871 – Otto von Bismarck is appointed Chancellor of the German Empire.
- 1871 – Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his trek to find the missionary and explorer David Livingstone.
- 1913 – Over 360 are killed and 20,000 homes destroyed in the Great Dayton Flood in Dayton, Ohio.
- 1918 – World War I: The first phase of the German Spring Offensive, Operation Michael, begins.
- 1919 – The Hungarian Soviet Republic is established becoming the first Communist government to be formed in Europe after the October Revolution in Russia.
- 1921 – The New Economic Policy is implemented by the Bolshevik Party in response to the economic failure as a result of War Communism.
- 1925 – The Butler Act prohibits the teaching of human evolution in Tennessee.
- 1925 – Syngman Rhee is removed from office after being impeached as the President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.
- 1928 – Charles Lindbergh is presented with the Medal of Honor for the first solo trans-Atlantic flight.
- 1933 – Construction of Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp, is completed.
- 1935 – Shah Reza Pahlavi formally asks the international community to call Persia by its native name, Iran, which means 'Land of the Aryans.'
- 1937 – Ponce Massacre: 18 people and a 7-year-old girl in Ponce, Puerto Rico, are gunned down by a police squad acting under orders of US-appointed Governor,Blanton C. Winship.
- 1943 – Wehrmacht officer Rudolf von Gersdorff plots to assassinate Adolf Hitler by using a suicide bomb, but the plan falls through. Von Gersdorff is able to defuse the bomb in time and avoid suspicion.
- 1945 – World War II: British troops liberate Mandalay, Burma.
- 1945 – World War II: Operation Carthage – British planes bomb Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. They also hit a school and 125 civilians are killed.
- 1945 – World War II: Bulgaria and the Soviet Union successfully complete their defense of the north bank of the Drava River as the Battle of the Transdanubian Hillsconcludes.
- 1946 – The Los Angeles Rams sign Kenny Washington, making him the first African American player in the American football since 1933.
- 1952 – Alan Freed presents the Moondog Coronation Ball, the first rock and roll concert, in Cleveland, Ohio.
- 1960 – Apartheid: Massacre in Sharpeville, South Africa: Police open fire on a group of unarmed black South African demonstrators, killing 69 and wounding 180.
- 1963 – Alcatraz, a federal penitentiary on an island in San Francisco Bay, closes.
- 1964 – In Copenhagen, Denmark, Gigliola Cinquetti wins the ninth Eurovision Song Contest for Italy singing "Non ho l'età" ("I'm not old enough").
- 1965 – Ranger program: NASA launches Ranger 9 which is the last in a series of unmanned lunar space probes.
- 1965 – Martin Luther King, Jr. leads 3,200 people on the start of the third and finally successful civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
- 1968 – Battle of Karameh in Jordan between Israeli Defense Forces and Fatah.
- 1970 – The first Earth Day proclamation is issued by Mayor of San Francisco Joseph Alioto.
- 1980 – US President Jimmy Carter announces a United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.
- 1989 – Sports Illustrated reports allegations tying baseball player Pete Rose to baseball gambling.
- 1990 – Namibia becomes independent after 75 years of South African rule.
- 1999 – Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones become the first to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon.
[edit]Births
- 1417 – Saint Nicholas of Flüe, patron saint of Switzerland (d. 1487)
- 1474 – Angela Merici, Italian religious leader and saint (d. 1540)
- 1521 – Maurice, Elector of Saxony (d. 1553)
- 1527 – Hermann Finck, German composer (d. 1558)
- 1672 – Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino, Italian poet and opera librettist (d. 1742)
- 1685 – Johann Sebastian Bach, German composer (d. 1750)
- 1713 – Francis Lewis, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1803)
- 1716 – Josef Seger, Bohemian organist, composer, and educator (d. 1782)
- 1763 – Jean Paul (Johann Paul Friedrich Richter), German writer (d. 1825)
- 1768 – Joseph Fourier, French mathematician (d. 1830)
- 1801 – Maria Theresa of Austria, Queen of Sardinia (d. 1855)
- 1806 – Benito Juárez, Mexican statesman and first indigenous president in the Americas (d. 1872)
- 1811 – Nathaniel Woodard, English educationalist (d. 1891)
- 1825 – Alexander F. Mozhayskiy, Russian aviation pioneer (d. 1890)
- 1835 – Thomas Hayward, English cricketer (d. 1876)
- 1839 – Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, Russian composer (d. 1881)
- 1854 – Alick Bannerman, Australian cricketer (d. 1924)
- 1857 – Alice Henry, Australian suffragist, journalist and trade unionist (d. 1943)
- 1859 – Daria Pratt, American golfer (d. 1938)
- 1865 – George Owen Squier, American inventor (d. 1934)
- 1867 – Florenz Ziegfeld, American theater producer (d. 1932)
- 1869 – David Robertson, Scottish golfer (d. 1937)
- 1876 – Walter Tewksbury, American athlete (d. 1968)
- 1877 – Maurice Farman, French motor racing champion and aircraft manufacturer (d. 1964)
- 1880 – Gilbert M. "Broncho Billy" Anderson, American actor (d. 1971)
- 1882 – Aleksander Kesküla, Estonian politician and nationalist (d. 1963)
- 1882 – Bascom Lamar Lunsford, American lawyer, folklorist, and folk musician (d. 1973)
- 1885 – Pierre Renoir, French actor and director (d. 1952)
- 1889 – John B. "Jock" Sutherland, American football coach (d. 1948)
- 1891 – Jonathan Hale, Canadian film and television actor (d. 1966)
- 1895 – Zlatko Baloković, Croatian violinist (d. 1955)
- 1901 – Karl Arnold, German politician (d. 1958)
- 1902 – Son House, American musician (d. 1988)
- 1904 – Jehane Benoît, Canadian culinary author (d. 1987)
- 1904 – Forrest Mars Sr., American candymaker (d. 1999)
- 1904 – Nikos Skalkottas, Greek composer (d. 1949)
- 1905 – Phyllis McGinley, American author and poet (d. 1978)
- 1906 – John D. Rockefeller III, American philanthropist (d. 1978)
- 1906 – Jim Thompson, American designer and businessman (d. 1967)
- 1910 – Julio Gallo, American vintner (d. 1993)
- 1910 – Muhammad Siddiq Khan, Bangladeshi intellectual (d. 1978)
- 1912 – André Laurendeau, Canadian journalist, politician and playwright (d. 1968)
- 1913 – George Abecassis, English race car driver (d. 1991)
- 1914 – Paul Tortelier, French cellist (d. 1990)
- 1916 – Ustad Bismillah Khan, Indian shehnai maestro (d. 2006)
- 1917 – Frank Hardy, Australian author (d. 1994)
- 1917 – Yigael Yadin, Israeli archeologist and politician (d. 1984)
- 1918 – Patrick J. Lucey, American politician
- 1919 – Douglas Warren, Australian bishop (d. 2013)
- 1920 – Manolis Chiotis, Greek bouzouki player and songwriter (d. 1970)
- 1920 – Georg Ots, Estonian opera singer (d. 1975)
- 1921 – Arthur Grumiaux, Belgian violinist and Pianist (d. 1986)
- 1921 – Joe Sutter, American engineer
- 1922 – Russ Meyer, American film director and producer (d. 2004)
- 1923 – Philip Abbott, American actor (d. 1998)
- 1923 – Louis-Edmond Hamelin, Canadian geographer, professor, and author
- 1923 – Nizar Qabbani, Syrian diplomat, poet, and publisher (d. 1998)
- 1923 – Nirmala Srivastava, Indian religious figure (d. 2011)
- 1924 – Dov Shilansky, Israeli politician (d. 2010)
- 1925 – Peter Brook, British stage director and producer
- 1925 – Hugo Koblet, Swiss cyclist (d. 1964)
- 1926 – André Delvaux, Belgian film director (d. 2002)
- 1927 – Hans-Dietrich Genscher, German politician
- 1929 – Maurice Catarcio, American professional wrestler (d. 2005)
- 1930 – James Coco, American actor (d. 1987)
- 1930 – Otis Spann, American blues pianist (d. 1970)
- 1931 – Al Williamson, American comics artist (d. 2010)
- 1932 – Walter Gilbert, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1932 – Joseph Silverstein, American violinist and conductor
- 1933 – Michael Heseltine, British politician
- 1934 – Al Freeman, Jr., American actor (d. 2012)
- 1935 – Brian Clough, English footballer and football manager (d. 2004)
- 1936 – Ed Broadbent, Canadian politician
- 1936 – Mike Westbrook, British jazz composer, bandleader and pianist
- 1937 – Tom Flores, American Football player
- 1937 – Pierre-Jean Rémy, French diplomat, novelist and essayist (d. 2010)
- 1939 – Kathleen Widdoes, American actress
- 1940 – Solomon Burke, American singer (d. 2010)
- 1942 – Françoise Dorléac, French actress (d. 1967)
- 1942 – Kostas Politis, Greek basketball player and coach
- 1943 – István Gyulai, Hungarian sports executive (d. 2006)
- 1943 – Hartmut Haenchen, German conductor
- 1943 – Vivian Stanshall, English musician (Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band) (d. 1995)
- 1944 – Marie-Christine Barrault, French actress
- 1944 – Hideki Ishima, Japanese guitarist (Flower Travellin' Band)
- 1945 – Rose Stone, American musician (Sly & the Family Stone)
- 1946 – Timothy Dalton, British actor
- 1946 – Ray Dorset, English musician (Mungo Jerry)
- 1948 – Scott Fahlman, American computer scientist
- 1949 – Eddie Money, American singer-songwriter
- 1949 – Slavoj Žižek, Slovenian sociologist and critic
- 1950 – Roger Hodgson, English musician (Supertramp)
- 1950 – Ron Oden, American politician
- 1951 – Conrad Lozano, American musician (Los Lobos)
- 1951 – Russell Thompkins Jr., American singer (The Stylistics)
- 1953 – Paul Martin Lester, American educator, author, and photographer
- 1955 – Fadi Abboud, Lebanese politician
- 1955 – Bob Bennett, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1955 – Dimitrios Papadimoulis, Greek politician
- 1956 – Guy Chadwick, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (The House of Love)
- 1956 – Ingrid Kristiansen, Norwegian runner
- 1958 – Brad Hall, American actor and writer
- 1958 – Sabrina Le Beauf, American actress
- 1958 – Gary Oldman, English actor
- 1959 – Sarah Jane Morris, English singer
- 1959 – Yuval Rotem, Israeli ambassador
- 1959 – Nobuo Uematsu, Japanese video game composer
- 1960 – Benito de Leon, Filipino military officer
- 1960 – Ayrton Senna, Brazilian race car driver (d. 1994)
- 1960 – Robert Sweet, American drummer (Stryper, King James, and Blissed)
- 1961 – Lothar Matthäus, German footballer
- 1961 – Slim Jim Phantom (James McDonnell), American musician (Stray Cats, Phantom, Rocker & Slick, Dead Men Walking, and The Head Cat)
- 1962 – Matthew Broderick, American actor
- 1962 – Kathy Greenwood, Canadian actress
- 1962 – Rosie O'Donnell, American comedian and actress
- 1962 – Mark Waid, American comic book writer
- 1963 – Shawn Lane, American musician (Black Oak Arkansas) (d. 2003)
- 1963 – Shawon Dunston, American baseball player
- 1963 – Ronald Koeman, Dutch footballer and manager
- 1964 – Ahmed Radhi, Iraqi football player and politician
- 1964 – Jesper Skibby, Danish professional cyclist
- 1965 – Xavier Bertrand, French politician
- 1966 – Benito Archundia, Mexican football referee
- 1966 – DJ Premier (Christopher Edward Martin), American record producer and DJ (Gang Starr)
- 1967 – Jonas "Joker" Berggren, Swedish musician (Ace of Base)
- 1967 – Adrian Chiles, British television and radio presenter
- 1967 – Maxim Reality (Keith Andrew Palmer), English singer-songwriter (The Prodigy)
- 1968 – Cameron Clyne, Australian businessman
- 1968 – Andrew Copeland, American singer and guitar (Sister Hazel)
- 1968 – Jaye Davidson, American actor
- 1968 – Samantha Dorman, American model
- 1968 – Greg Ellis, English actor
- 1968 – Shin Seung Hun, South Korean singer
- 1968 – Scott Williams, American basketball player
- 1969 – Ali Daei, Iranian footballer
- 1969 – Jonah Goldberg, American author
- 1970 – Shiho Niiyama, Japanese voice actress (d. 2000)
- 1970 – Cenk Uygur, American radio talk show host
- 1972 – Chris Candido, American professional wrestler (d. 2005)
- 1973 – Vanessa Branch, British-American actress and model
- 1973 – Ananda Lewis, American model and television personality
- 1973 – Stuart Nethercott, English footballer
- 1973 – Large Professor (William Paul Mitchell), American hip hop artist and producer (Main Source)
- 1973 – Jerry Supiran, American actor
- 1974 – Laura Allen, American actress
- 1974 – Jose Clayton, Tunisian footballer
- 1974 – Rhys Darby, New Zealand comedian
- 1974 – Edsel Dope (Brian Charles Ebejer), American singer (Dope)
- 1975 – Yacoub Al-Mohana, Kuwaiti film director
- 1975 – Fabricio Oberto, Argentine basketball player
- 1975 – Justin Pierce, British actor (d. 2000)
- 1975 – Vitaly Potapenko, Ukrainian basketball player
- 1975 – Mark Williams, Welsh snooker player
- 1976 – Rachael MacFarlane, American voice actress
- 1976 – Tekin Sazlog, Turkish footballer
- 1977 – Bruno Cirillo, Italian footballer
- 1978 – Nick Baines, English keyboardist (Kaiser Chiefs)
- 1978 – Charmaine Dragun, Australian news anchor (d. 2007)
- 1978 – Kevin Federline, American dancer, actor, and rapper
- 1978 – Cristian Guzmán, Dominican baseball player
- 1978 – Rani Mukherjee, Indian actress
- 1978 – Young Noble (Rufus Cooper III), American rapper (Outlawz)
- 1978 – Joyce Jimenez, Filipino-American actor.
- 1979 – Jimenez Lai, American architect
- 1980 – Marit Bjørgen, Norwegian cross-country skier
- 1980 – Ronaldinho Gaucho (Ronaldo de Assis Moreira), Brazilian footballer
- 1980 – Deryck Whibley, Canadian singer and guitarist (Sum41)
- 1980 – Lee Jin, South Korean actress
- 1981 – Germano Borovicz Cardozo Schweger, Brazilian footballer
- 1981 – Sébastien Chavanel, French cyclist
- 1982 – Maria Elena Camerin, Italian tennis player
- 1982 – Aaron Hill, American baseball player
- 1982 – Jocie Kwok, Chinese-Singaporean singer
- 1982 – Colin Turkington, British racing driver
- 1983 – Jean Ondoa, Cameroonian footballer
- 1984 – Tiago dos Santos Roberto, Brazilian footballer
- 1984 – Guillermo Daniel Rodríguez, Uruguayan footballer
- 1985 – Ryan Callahan, American ice hockey player
- 1985 – Adrian Peterson, American football player
- 1986 – Miguel Pérez Cuesta, Spanish footballer
- 1988 – Lee Cattermole, English footballer
- 1988 – Kateřina Čechová, Czech athlete
- 1988 – Erik Johnson, American ice hockey player
- 1988 – Eric Krüger, German sprinter
- 1989 – Labrinth, English singer-songwriter and producer
- 1989 – Nicolas Lodeiro, Uruguayan footballer
- 1989 – Takeru Satoh, Japanese actor
- 1989 – Jordi Alba, Spanish footballer
- 1989 – Rochelle Wiseman, English singer (The Saturdays and S Club 8)
- 1990 – Mandy Capristo, German singer (Monrose)
- 1990 – Ryann Krais, American athlete
- 1991 – Luke Chapman, English footballer
- 1992 – Karolína Plíšková, Czech tennis player
- 1993 – Jake Bidwell, English footballer
- 1993 – Suraj Sharma, Indian actor
- 1995 – Diggy Simmons, American rapper (All City Chess Club)
- 2004 – Count Claus-Casimir of Orange-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg
[edit]Deaths
- 1063 – Blessed Richeza of Lotharingia, venerated in Roman Catholicism, wife of King Mieszko II of Poland
- 1076 – Robert I, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1011)
- 1181 – Taira Kiyomori, Japanese Feudal general (b. 1118)
- 1306 – Robert II, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1248)
- 1487 – Nicholas of Flue, Swiss hermit and saint (b. 1417)
- 1556 – Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury (burned at the stake) (b. 1489)
- 1617 – Pocahontas, Algonquian princess (b. c.1595)
- 1656 – James Ussher, Irish Anglican archbishop (b. 1581)
- 1676 – Henri Sauval, French historian (b. 1623)
- 1729 – John Law, Scottish economist (b. 1671)
- 1734 – Robert Wodrow, Scottish historian (b. 1679)
- 1751 – Johann Heinrich Zedler, German publisher (b. 1706)
- 1762 – Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, French astronomer (b. 1713)
- 1772 – Jacques-Nicolas Bellin, French cartographer (b. 1703)
- 1795 – Giovanni Arduino, Italian geologist (b. 1714)
- 1801 – Andrea Luchesi, Italian composer (b. 1741)
- 1804 – Louis-Antoine-Henri de Bourbon-Condé (executed) (b. 1772)
- 1843 – Robert Southey, English poet (b. 1774)
- 1843 – Guadalupe Victoria, first President of Mexico (b. 1786)
- 1850 – Miguel Pedrorena, American settler
- 1863 – Edwin Vose Sumner, American Civil War general (b. 1797)
- 1881 – Samuel Courtauld, American-born textile magnate (b. 1793)
- 1884 – Ezra Abbot, American bible scholar (b. 1819)
- 1910 – Nadar, French photographer (b. 1820)
- 1915 – Frederick Winslow Taylor, American inventor (b. 1856)
- 1920 – Evelina Haverfield British suffragette (b. 1867)
- 1932 – Frantz Reichel, French athlete and rugby player (b. 1871)
- 1934 – Franz Schreker, Austrian composer (b. 1878)
- 1936 – Alexander Glazunov, Russian composer (b. 1865)
- 1943 – Cornelia_Fort, First American Female Pilot to die for the U.S. Military (b. 1919)
- 1945 – Arthur Nebe, German SS officer (b. 1894)
- 1951 – Willem Mengelberg, Dutch conductor (b. 1871)
- 1958 – Cyril M. Kornbluth, American writer (b. 1923)
- 1970 – Manolis Chiotis, Greek songwriter and musician (b. 1920)
- 1973 – Âşık Veysel Şatıroğlu, Turkish minstrel (b. 1894)
- 1974 – Candy Darling, American transgender model and actress(b. 1944)
- 1975 – Joe Medwick, baseball player (b. 1911)
- 1978 – Louis Cottrell, Jr., American jazz musician (b. 1911)
- 1980 – Angelo Bruno, American mobster (b. 1910)
- 1980 – Peter Stoner, American mathematician, astronomer and Christian apologist (b. 1888)
- 1984 – Shauna Grant, American pornographic actress (suicide) (b. 1963)
- 1985 – Sir Michael Redgrave, English actor (b. 1908)
- 1987 – Walter L. Gordon, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1906)
- 1987 – Dean Paul Martin, American tennis player, singer, actor, and military pilot (b. 1951)
- 1987 – Robert Preston, American actor (b. 1918)
- 1991 – Leo Fender, American guitar manufacturer (b. 1909)
- 1992 – John Ireland, Canadian actor and director (b. 1914)
- 1992 – Natalie Sleeth, American composer (b. 1930)
- 1994 – Macdonald Carey, American actor (b. 1913)
- 1994 – Lili Damita, French actress (b. 1904)
- 1994 – Dack Rambo, American actor (b. 1941)
- 1997 – W. V. Awdry, English author (b. 1911)
- 1998 – Galina Sergeyevna Ulánova, Russian prima ballerina assoluta (b. 1910)
- 1999 – Jean Guitton, French philosopher, author and theologian (b. 1905)
- 1999 – Ernie Wise, British comedian (b. 1925)
- 2001 – Chung Ju-yung, Korean industrialist (b. 1915)
- 2001 – Anthony Steel, English actor (b. 1920)
- 2002 – Herman Talmadge, American politician (b. 1913)
- 2003 – Umar Wirahadikusumah, Indonesian politician, Fourth Vice President of Indonesia (b. 1924)
- 2003 – Shivani, Indian Hindi Writer(b.1923)
- 2004 – Ludmilla Tchérina, French ballet dancer and actress (b. 1924)
- 2005 – Barney Martin, American actor (b. 1923)
- 2005 – Bobby Short, American singer and pianist (b. 1924)
- 2007 – Drew Hayes, American writer and graphic artist (b. 1969)
- 2007 – Sven O. Høiby, Norwegian journalist and father of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway (b. 1936)
- 2007 – Kevin Whitrick, British electrical engineer (b. 1964)
- 2008 – Guillermo Jullian de la Fuente, Chilean architect (b. 1931)
- 2009 – Walt Poddubny, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1960)
- 2010 – Wolfgang Wagner, German opera director (b. 1919)
- 2011 – Loleatta Holloway, American singer (The Caravans) (b. 1946)
- 2011 – Gerd Klier, German footballer (b. 1944)
- 2011 – Ladislav Novák, Czech footballer (b. 1931)
- 2011 – Pinetop Perkins, American pianist (b. 1913)
[edit]Holidays and observances
- The first day of Bahá, the first month in Bahá'í calendar (Bahá'í Faith)
- Birth of Benito Juárez, a Fiestas Patrias (Mexico)
- Christian Feast Day:
- Thomas Cranmer, Translator and Reviser of the Liturgy, Archbishop of Canterbury, Martyr, 1556 (commemoration, Anglicanism)
- Harmony Day (Australia)
- Earliest day on which Holy Saturday can fall, while April 24 is the latest; celebrated on Saturday before Easter. (Christianity)
- Human Rights Day (South Africa)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Namibia from South African mandate in 1990.
- International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (International)
- Mother's Day (most of the Arab World)
- Nowrouz (lit. "New Day" in Persian) : the Persian New Year; the first day of the Persian calendar, i.e. 1st of Farvardin, is observed on the Vernal Equinox and usually coincides with March 21st, except for leap years when it coincides with March 20th.
- Rituals of the Salii (Ancient Rome)
- Truant's Day (Poland)
- Vernal Equinox Day
- World Down Syndrome Day (International)
- World Poetry Day (International)
- World Puppetry Day (International)
- Youth Day (Tunisia)
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www.pinkfloyd.com #DarkSide40
Design : Storm Thorgerson (Storm Studios)
(c) Pink Floyd(1987) Ltd/Pink Floyd Music Ltd.
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Today's events in Canberra continue the chaos and division Australians have come to expect from Labor.
Australians deserve a government that is focused on the national interest, not on its own survival.
Only the Coalition has the positive plans and experienced, united team to restore the stability and certainty Australia needs. http://lbr.al/02kc
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Another image from Arizona.
I call this one Thunder Road.
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Hosting Harmony Day #OneParramatta with the lovely @kristyknowsbest #harmonyday #ABC #kitchenninja #parramatta @alltognow
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Yesterday my government started construction on the new clinical building at Campbelltown Hospital & opened a 24-hour medical helipad & a new 235 space carpark. This is one of the State’s fastest-growing regions & we are ensuring local families have access to a world class hospital. For more info go here: arry http://ow.ly/jgByY
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Comet McNaught viewed over the Pacific in 2007. By Sebastian Deiries
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Jesus can restore to you in abundance what you have lost! Check out today's devotional. Be sure to click "like" to help spread the word! Thanks, all! http://bit.ly/ZI0cnR
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Living under condemnation because of past failures can lead to all kinds of health and behavioral issues. But the good news is that the cross of Jesus has forever freed us from the condemnation of sin! Hear about how perfect Jesus' work is in removing all our sins in this liberating video excerpt!
http://josephprince.com/
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In the midst of your problem, praise God for His constant goodness toward you, and see His promises come to pass for you.
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Is there something that you have done in your past that you are still beating yourself over for? Beloved, God’s grace is greater than any mistake you have ever made. His unmerited favor is always on your side because of what Jesus did on the cross for you.
Your mistake need not rob you of the beautiful future that God has for you. No matter what has happened, expect good things to happen to you! Continue to ask God for big things and reach out to the blessed destiny He has for you today! http://josephprince.com/
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Dear friends,
It has come to our attention, that there are people using fake Joseph Prince Facebook accounts to private message individuals to ask for their personal details or to raise money for their own causes, such as orphanages. Please be aware that officially we do NOT endorse any of these fraudulent organizations and we advise you not to support any of these causes. We also do NOT use Facebook to raise any funds for other organizations. This is the only official Joseph Prince page on Facebook and we do NOT send private messages to individuals. Thank you for exercising wisdom and care in this matter.
Do like and share this post so that more people will be aware.
Blessings, Team JP
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