Loose cannons

Competition policy

"[The federal government] wants to ensure diversity of opinion but not necessarily diversity of ownership." — Senator Richard Alston on why Kerry Packer should be allowed to own even more media outlets.

Rollover

"I think for us the GST is more in the past than the future in terms of policy making." — ALP shadow minister for economic rationalism Mark Latham.

Most of whom just happen to be...

"Our future immigration policy should have nothing to do with immigrants' skin colour or ethnicity. It should have everything to do with whether those concerned are capable of assimilating into Australia's basically Judeo-Christian culture and disposed to do so." — former National Party senator John Stone.

Understatement of the year

"The IMF listens carefully to the United States." — former US National Security Adviser Brent Scrowcroft.

From Green Left Weekly, December 12, 2001.

Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.

From GLW issue 475