On this day, January 12, in 1975
“Kill Whitlam” telegram was by Rupert Murdoch to the editors of his Australian newspapers. He was miffed at not getting more out of Gough Whitlam, the Australian Labor Party leader and Prime Minister, whom he had supported..
Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were at 331 parts per million.
As of 2026 they are 428ppm at and rising rapidly. Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think.
Btw, the point(s) of this project is …. the how, the who the hell am I and the what do I currently believe?
The context was that Murdoch hadn’t had his transactional needs met by Whitlam, and was therefore gunning for him. Very old story.
Why care?
So how would history have turned out any different? Probably not.
Murdoch is doing a “cheating death” thing, with Lachlan, his mini-me in charge in perpetuity, so that Murdoch and Fox can spew out the bollocks forever.
What a species, but we’re susceptible to it, the bollocks.
We just don’t know which buttons to push to collaborate. “They” know how to get us to hate.
They know how to get us to disdain and disparage – and to end coalitions before they even begin.
And you know, we need to remember this, that the power of the media, if they “pay the truth makers” against any political move that they even perceive to be opposed to their interests.
(How) does it connect to climate change?
The Murdoch media spews an endless vomit-stream of lies, half-truths, smears etc. It didn’t have to be like this….
What happened next
Whitlam was “dismissed”, lost the ensuing election, and the one in 1977. “Labor” regained office in 1983, under the neoliberals Hawke and Keating. That was pretty much the end for social democracy in Australia. And here we are.
How does it help us understand the world?
The power of the press…
How does it help us act in the world?
Knowing when (and how) you’re being lied to is useful, imo.
The source that it comes from, if necessary,
The other things that you could read about this or watch
See also the first television adaptation of Chris Mullin’s A Very British Coup with the newspaper proprietor on a sun-lounger in Spain telling his editors in London what the opinion polls were to be flashed on the front page of the newspapers about Prime Minister Harry Perkins.
What do you think?
If you have opinions or info about this, or other things that happened on this day that are worth knowing, let me know!
Also on this day
Etc