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Showing posts from March, 2011

Chainstores Wielding Chainsaws "What You People Are Part Of Is The Beverage Industry ... "

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27 MARCH 2011 FARMER'S VISION: 1984 WARNING IGNORED by PHILIP WHITE - WRITTEN FOR INDAILY ON 25 FEB 11 “I think we should dwell on the thought of what happens to this industry when we get chainstores taking over and applying chainsaw marketing techniques which cut down on the number of brands on the shelves.” T his was journalist, tea merchant and liquor store owner, Richard Farmer, addressing the  Sydney Wine Press Club in Len Evans’ Bulletin Place restaurant in Sydney in June 1984. “If you think there’s a bit of a scurry to get your goods on the shelf now, I think you should start worrying about the scurry that’ll happen when Coles and Woolworths control a great portion of the Australian Wine Industry.”     Farmer (left) had started with a terse reminder to the eager gathering, which bristled with boutique  winery people. Boutiques were the new thing.   “You forget that what you people are part of is the beverage industry,” he preached. “Your product competes in the m

The ethics of the Murdoch press

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And to think I used to wore for them!

Succumbing to the temptation to be important.

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Wanting others to appreciate your importance is a human enough failing for a political adviser. Hiding away in the shadow of a political master or mistress there is often the craving for recognition -- for public acknowledgement that the real brains is not the one delivering the words. Yet that such desires should be curbed if the democratic system is to work smoothly was well illustrated overnight when a member of Prime Minister Julia Gillard's entourage lost discipline and made an ill-judged remark to a travelling journalist. The  Melbourne Age  reported on differences emerging between the views of Ms Gillard and her Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd over Libya in this way: Officials from the Prime Minister's department are reportedly concerned Mr Rudd is causing confusion over Australia's position, with one adviser telling Fairfax Media: "He's out of control." The story was off and running with the ABC leading the way in promoting exactly the kind of story that g