Election 2010: Political analysis – major parties 'douchebags'

Political analyst Jeremy Sear, tasked by Crikey with exposing "the intellectual dishonesty, the flimsy arguments and the distorted data wherever they appear in the mainstream media", is a Greens supporter who thought the first televised debate a waste of time, yet wants additional televised debating, preferably including Greens supremo Bob Brown.

Both big parties are spectacular hypocrites, and this is illustrated again this week with the proposing of another debate (despite earlier refusal) by Labor, and the refusal of same (despite earlier pleas) by the Liberals.

From which he concludes:

Both sides are clearly hypocritical douchebags...

Jeremy is also riled by the ABC's alleged anti-left bias in reporting Gillard’s challenge ‘a sign of desperation’.

The ABC is simply reporting Liberal opinion that Gillard's request for a second debate is a sign of desperation – hence the quotes indicating that "a sign of desperation" is not the ABC's opinion. Also, the text of the story makes it clear that the ABC is reporting various Liberals' take on Gillard's new debate challenge.

Regardless, whereas calling the major parties "douchebags" might be perceived by Jeremy's fellow fringe leftists as daring, it's hardly the standard of analysis expected of a news and commentary site with mainstream aspirations, plumbing, as it does, depths never approached by Australia's mainstream right-wing pundits.