The Watermelon Blog Green on the outside, social justice inside
"We can do better" (Kennedy)
Richest fluency
"This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem, and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body." Walt Whitman
Dear Mr Shier I write to you because I am very troubled by media reports that Phillip Adams is to be dropped from the Late Night Live program, and therefore from the ABC. I am not a friend of Phillip, but I have appeared on the LNL show, and been part of an audience for the show. I had been a fan of his broadcasting and writing for many years before this.
I have long been impressed by Phillip's intelligence, knowledge, professionalism and decency. The interview I did with him was the toughest I faced in all the media interviews I did when my new book was released. He was well-researched, and although the subject was one I think he would have sympathy with, the questions were tough and probing, making me really think about what I was saying. Not a bad effort in a ten minute interview covering a book with wide-ranging subject matter.
Phillip seems to me quite fearless, and to tackle people and issues in a way that few other broadcasters attempt. He is also game to tackle the government of the day, and ask questions that ministers don't want asked. He has done this over a long period of time, tackling politicians from both sides of politics.
I think there are many countries in the world who would love to have a national broadcasting system as good as the ABC has been, and one that was game to tackle the government of the day without fear or favour. They would also love to have a Phillip Adams, fearless and enormously professional.
I don't know the truth behind the media speculation of political influence being brought to bear to remove someone from the ABC because of their apparent left-wing views. It seems to me that even the perception that this might be the case is damaging to the ABC. I don't want to see a situation where every incoming government feels that it can demand that ABC personnel be changed because this has been done by a previous government. I think the ABC is there primarily to act for the people to critically examine the performance of the government of the day.
Phillip Adams seems to me to be a crucially important figure in national debates on crucial issues. His importance has grown over the years. I hope that the media speculation is just that, and we will see Phillip continue to be an important questioner on the ABC for many years to come.
I would be grateful if you could pass on my views to the Board.
"You are a person of some interest,one comes to you and takes strange gain away." (Pound)
"I find that I can have no enjoyment in the world but the continual drinking of knowledge. I find there is no worthy pursuit but the idea of doing some good for the world." (Keats)
"nothing startles me beyond the moment. The setting sun will always set me to rights - or if a sparrow come before my window I take part in its existence and pick about the gravel." (Keats)