Michael Duffy takes issue with Peter Jensen regarding his Boyer Lectures. Jensen, being the evangelical he is, uses the opportunity of the Boyers to be, well, er, evangelical. Duffy makes some good points - particularly with regard to the use of the Boyers for the purpose of evangelism. Admittedly, this is a bit different. I don't find the principle of having Jensen on - with his evangelism in national life - any different, though, to the principle of Duffy's own program, Counterpoint. Counterpoint allows a succession of Liberal and National Party politicians, neo-con sympathisers, economic rationalists and assorted right wingers to put forward their views with an occasional nod to ALP speakers. It goes to air once a week. It is intended, in my view, as a counterfoil to Late Night Live with that well-known atheist, Philip Adams. Adams is a leftie (although I think his socialism is more chardonnay and cafe latte these days than actual personal identification with the poor and the workers). Yet it is possible to hear the occasional right winger on LNL. I put this all down to the persistent carping by the Liberals and Nationals on the subject of their version of "balance". The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (The ABC) has been starved of funds by both Labor and Liberal governments. Clearly the ABC is sick and tired of this and is giving its critics some airplay. Duffy would do better to look to the quality of his conservative speakers (Adams has some real thinkers on his program) that they might attempt to convince us rationally instead of turning a lot of us off by their redneck rhetoric.
The Network
This blog is no longer updated. Please click the picture to hop across to The Network
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Duffy & debate: Jensen & The Boyers
Michael Duffy takes issue with Peter Jensen regarding his Boyer Lectures. Jensen, being the evangelical he is, uses the opportunity of the Boyers to be, well, er, evangelical. Duffy makes some good points - particularly with regard to the use of the Boyers for the purpose of evangelism. Admittedly, this is a bit different. I don't find the principle of having Jensen on - with his evangelism in national life - any different, though, to the principle of Duffy's own program, Counterpoint. Counterpoint allows a succession of Liberal and National Party politicians, neo-con sympathisers, economic rationalists and assorted right wingers to put forward their views with an occasional nod to ALP speakers. It goes to air once a week. It is intended, in my view, as a counterfoil to Late Night Live with that well-known atheist, Philip Adams. Adams is a leftie (although I think his socialism is more chardonnay and cafe latte these days than actual personal identification with the poor and the workers). Yet it is possible to hear the occasional right winger on LNL. I put this all down to the persistent carping by the Liberals and Nationals on the subject of their version of "balance". The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (The ABC) has been starved of funds by both Labor and Liberal governments. Clearly the ABC is sick and tired of this and is giving its critics some airplay. Duffy would do better to look to the quality of his conservative speakers (Adams has some real thinkers on his program) that they might attempt to convince us rationally instead of turning a lot of us off by their redneck rhetoric.
