Thread by @iMusing

good morning on the bird app🐦☀️today on #Insiders are ex-murdoch now 9fax (The Age) politics corro Annika Smethurst, ABC everyman Stan Grant, and murdoch (Oz) serial temper-loser Greg Sheridan.
The interview is with opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham.

opening spiel: “diplomatic deep freeze” is over. What next? Why is Xi re-engaging? asks Speers (A: change of federal government from Coalition to Labor). #Insiders

Australia held its ground, says Speers. Xi has agreed to “the thaw” he says. And these outcomes a mystery to very senior press gallery journalist David Speers, or so he would have us believe. #Insiders

the montage is “summit season” with clips of Albanese, Xi, Biden, and Dutton. All the framing randomises Albanese’s successes. Even coverage of the plane crash outcome has nothing on the cheer leading Abbott got for not achieving his goals there. #Insiders

bonus clip: what Julie Bishop thinks. #Insiders

#MakingNews Albanese arriving home, “playing down expectations” on China lifting trade sanctions. Speers editorialises that the government has clocked up foreign policy wins in its first six months. Big difficulties remain, says Speers. Not all smooth sailing sayeth he #Insiders

panel. Sheridan first. He says Labor has played this brilliantly and “it would never have been expected” (by the dominant political class) that Labor would do so well.

To anyone watching, out-performing Morrison on foreign policy is a very low bar (Ed) #insiders

next up is Grant. He says Xi has conceded nothing. Both Sheridan and Grant agree that this meeting is more significant than the Whitlam visit over 50 years ago. Grant points to the lack of human rights progress inside China, on the Uyghur people #Insiders

and Smethurst. She says it is an incredible step forward despite no movement on [various messes caused by the Coalition and/or completely beyond Australian influence let alone decision making influence/control] #Insiders

the role of Australian statecraft was small, says Sheridan. He is full of praise for the professionalism of the Albanese government, he says, while downplaying it’s actual achievements, amplifying impossible non-outcomes, and not comparing anything to Coalition fuckups #Insiders

back to Grant, who says this is the same Xi and he, Grant, lived in China for a long time. Xi is confident in not changing his direction on militarisation and human rights violations (abbr) says Grant. #Insiders

this is the reality, they are a power, in our region, China will effect us more than others, says Smethurst. Not to downplay Albanese government achievements, Smethurst says, and then does anyway #Insiders

we enter the circles within circles discussion. Speers says some unnamd somebodies are going to demand the end of trade sanctions. The danger is expectations and the government is trying to tamp down expectations, says Sheridan #Insiders

“we have put poor old Adani through ten years of water torture” says Sheridan. He also runs the anonymous “end sanctions” expectations line, and puts words about sanctions into unknown mouths “c’mon Albo” #Insiders

interview. Birmingham claims that his party made difficult decisions that caused difficulties in their relationship with China. He calls the trade sanctions “unfair” and claims Labor has maintained Coalition policy settings, a lie. #Insiders

does it help that the Australian government is no longer chest thumping like war mongers [paraphrased]? That the “war talk is dialled down” Speers calls it. Birmingham avoids this Q #Insiders

instead, Birmingham mentions Magninski sanctions. Does the Coalition want Magninski sanctions? Birmingham wrote to the minister, Senator Wong (he says Penny Wong), offering Coalition bipartisanship on sanctions. Thanks, Simon! #Insiders

should Taiwan enter the [China something] trade agreement? Birmingham runs through some trade agreement history. Should Taiwan be recognised as a nation state? Protection of our nation, security of our region, recites Birmingham. #Insiders

should a minister visit Taiwan? Hastie says he would consider going? He has been says Birmingham. Not as a minister, tho, fact checks Speers. Birmingham agrees he did not go as a minister. Should a federal minister go? Depends, says Birmingham. #Insiders

on Myanmar and military junta. Penny Wong, has engaged the regime directly, says Speers, as far as he knows Marise Payne did not. Should there be sanctions against Myanmar which the Coalition did not do? Birmingham talks almost only about ASEAN in this context.

I missed the rest but Speers says something about “slapping sanctions” and seems to be insisting that Birmingham has agreed this is the correct course for the federal government. Birmingham puts on his serious voice to recite “serious abuses” etc #insiders

Iran. Sanctions? Birmingham says he has spoken to Iranians who do not want blanket sanctions. Maybe targeted sanctions. “Australia should not be way behind” other countries in responding to the Iranian uprising. #Insiders

domestics. The anti-corruption commission. Birmingham says Bar Assocs including the SA Bar Assoc have suggested some changes. #Insiders

wages. Birmingham blathers about “creating the conditions for economic growth”. Regular reminder that bosses have kept “growth” - increased income - in the profit column and could raise wages any time and that it is bosses who are fueling inflation. #Insiders

windfall tax? You are opposed to any tax? It would be counterproductive to supply, says Birmingham. A disincentive to investment. So gas corporations would shut down production if they have to pay tax? Is that what he is saying? How bizarre. #Insiders

a First Nations Voice to Parliament. You are the leading moderate, says Speers. Do you support it? Birmingham recites the usual deflections. More detail, he says. He wants evidence of future benefit that will flow from constitutional change, an impossibility. #Insiders

back to panel. Sheridan first, again. He starts by praising “Birmo” as FA spokesman for the Coalition and says sanctions against Myanmar would be a big mistake. We get a little splain on Magninski sanctions - targeting individuals eg if they want a holiday in the west #Insiders

Grant next, again. He says they are inundated with questions on Iran on QandA. Women are leading these protests, says Grant. He suggests permanent resettlement in Australia, including ending TPVs for Iranians. #Insiders

the mass amnesty that saw Aust prof released after 650 days. This was part of “an Asian solution”, not just us? Is that what Smethurst said that Sheridan said? The fact the prof was released with thousands of others makes it different, is the minimising consensus here. #Insiders

back to the MH17 story. Sheridan says Russia will survive. The conviction is symbolism, he says. Word of the day - previously he referred to “performative” symbolism about something (potential sanctions against Iran or Myanmar, I think) #Insiders

Grant on China, again. Preparing for a war on its tens in its region that a lot of analysts say they could win, says Grant, who can not see how the Russia invasion (he calls it war) of Ukraine ends. Wars of identity are in your bones, says Grant. #Insiders

ex-Sun Herald journo Annika Smethurst says the Victorian election campaign has turned nasty and it really brutal. Is it about Dan Andrews? (A: no, David. The murdoch press and Liberal Party politicians are doing that) #insiders

people just want politics out of their lives, says Smethurst, a Barnaby Joyce special line from memory. She projects a nothing-nothing bothsides bothsides bit of blather onto the Victorian electorate #Insiders

what about the IBAC? Sheridan says Andrews deserves to lose and Guy does not deserve to win. He is tempted to scrawl none of the above on the ballot, says Sheridan, and Speers asks him not to advocate for informal voting [in breach of the Cth electoral Act] #Insiders

clip of Trump lmaoooo after Speers’ former colleagues at Sky had kittens about the ABC broadcasting our IR minister on wages in Australia at the #NPC instead of crossing live to a Republican primary hopeful #Insiders

he is good for newspapers, says Sheridan about Trump, and riffs a bit on his chances but with no mention of the harm he does. Bit of bothsides would be good here, Greg #Insiders

#TalkingPictures is up #Insiders. Cathy is a back to you David laydee.

https://twitter.com/InsidersABC/status/1594101965746802691

#FinalObservations 1 is Grant. He expresses disgust that an odious character and sexual predator like Trump is a contender and the west is destroying itself with such garbage choices as Trump and Biden [paraphrased] #Insiders

#FinalObs 2 is Smethurst saying “people” are saying the Vic election is boring because Labor is ahead but it will be a litmus test on whether the community independents (“teals”) are here to stay. #Insiders

#FinalObs 3 is Sheridan going “back to China” but I missed most of it. Whatever. #Insiders

Speers then spruiks his podcast and cuts to the outtake which is of Albanese and Sunak. I missed the funny part, if there was one. #Insiders

this has been another edition of watching #Insiders so you don’t have to👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼

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it is Transgender Day of Remembrance and this week I am paying forward to the fundraiser to farewell Tiwi sister girl Laura Orsto. You can donate directly here:

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with thanks to Gillian, Ben, Henricus, Terri, Mary-Ann, Stephen, Danka, and Charles we donated $115 to the farewell for Laura today.