The reptiles have no answers, and besides they're asking all the wrong questions and alienating the wrong demographic ... but what do you expect of angry old male reptiles?

(Above: the pond thought we'd put up something from #auspol just to stir the reptiles. More from the Twitterati twittering away here).

The pond is always entranced by watching the reptiles at play in their two favourite play-pens, climate science and the ABC.

The pond's already done the 'coal, coal, coal' routine for the day, so it's time to join the reptile Oz editorialist in some brooding about the ABC:

Now the pond has no idea of the superior, infinite wit, wisdom and understanding of the reptiles, but their infallible capacity to discover an ABC-wide view on border protection, the price of carbon, indigenous recognition in the Constitution, and many other issues is way above the pond.

Individuals within the ABC - yes, they make their views known. But an institutional view, expressed as an editorial by the Board through their lackies? Well  it seems only reptiles lickspittling and forelock-tugging their way through Murdochian life have the sort of training that's required ...

And what about their routine resentment of the Twitterati? That's how to win a young demographic for your newspaper?

Is it any wonder that the angry white males in charge of the lizard Oz wonder why their circulation is declining, and why younger readers are few and far between?

What is it with intemperate abuse of "excitable, young and progressive" folk, wrapping them up in the label of the Twitterati?

Is it any wonder the Twitterati routinely mock and scorn the reptiles in return?

On to another matter: No one in their right mind would think that Q and A deserves or needs to be in the current affairs and news division.

It's to the enormous shame of the ABC Board that they should have folded in such a cowardly manner.

It proves that endless brow-beating by the Murdochians and the Abbott government will have its reward. (At least we still have a separate judiciary, though that's under review by the megamouth this very day ..._

The notion that Q and A (no ampersands here thanks to blogger) deserves a place in news and/or current affairs, makes a mockery of the concept of news and current affairs.

For the reptiles to say it's an obvious and overdue move is a disgrace within itself.

It's not obvious and it's not overdue, and if it happens, then it should be stripped of all the fripperies, and become as boring as batshit.

But it turns out that's what the reptiles want, because as usual we come across the usual whining and moaning and whinging and frequent renditions of "it's just so unfair, all out of market share, sometimes I wish for more than I've got".

Actually the headline on the Salter piece ran this way ...

Because that's what's really being sold down the river, the notion of editorial independence, and a complaisant ABC turned even more forelock tugging and compliant, as if it's not already over-run by the cockroaches of the IPA and Murdoch la la land.

The Murdochians won't be happy until all dissenting voices are silenced, the methodology of all fascists uncomfortable with alternative ways to view the world ...

... which is why the reptiles, when not taking pot-shots at the Twitterati, continually rail against the progressive green-left perspective.

The reptiles at the Oz are always on about there being no conservatives on the ABC, an outrageous claim to anyone who actually had to endure prattling Polonius flogging his book through every nook and cranny of the broadcaster, but where are the genuine liberals, lefties or greenies in the lizard Oz? Graham Richardson, Phillip Adams, Graham Lloyd, covert climate denialist ...?

Well there's a rich joke.

Even richer is the way the Fairfaxians and the reptiles routinely and faithfully report on what was said the night before on Q and A. If you don't like it, be like the pond, and not give it any attention. It's choreographed for reptile attention and headlines, and the gormless ones are so steeped in the kool aid that they respond in a slathering, salivating, slobbering way ...

But enough of arguing with reptiles, always a folly, pointless and silly.

Let's have some good news, and here we must discern some deeper reasons for the reptiles demanding that their shows head back to the days of dull broadcasting. And not - gasp - be entertaining. Quelle horreur.



Why do they want dull as ditchwater shows?

Well for that we can turn to the ABC and a story which landed yesterday, Netflix revolution shakes up Australian media, telecommunications landscape:

The threat to free-to-air television is fairly self evident, but analysts said internet providers and pay television company Foxtel could also be in danger. 
There was further confirmation of that recently with a belated reaction from Australia's dominant internet provider, Telstra. 
The company has announced a September release for a new product called Telstra TV, which promises an easy way to stream content by bundling Netflix with its smaller local rivals Presto and Stan. 
Despite repeated requests, ABC News was unable to secure an interview with the company to ask what impact Telstra TV will have on the company's 50 per cent stake in Foxtel. 
Telecommunications analyst Paul Budde, managing director of BuddeComm, said he was surprised by how rapidly Netflix had grown, but does not underestimate how significantly it will impact on the sector. 
"If your company like Telstra is linked to Foxtel, then you have to make a decision," Mr Budde said. "Do you want to be there for the short term; over the short term Foxtel can still be successful. But in the longer term you will have to start looking at partnerships with international companies." 
Foxtel, jointly owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, has sought to combat Netflix by slashing the price of its entry-level pay TV service and through its stake in rival service Presto. 
"Even if they have changed the game, Foxtel still have that perception in peoples' mind that they have been ripped off and also Foxtel left it rather late to change its game, only a few months before Netflix arrived," Mr Budde said.

Let's not beat around the bush. Presto is a disaster, Stan is burning cash like there's no tomorrow, and Foxtel is in deep trouble ...

But rather than respond to the needs of consumers and the changing marketplace, the reptiles thought they could proceed on their merry way in a pay TV monopoly, charging whatever they thought they could get away with ...

And that's why the reptiles resent the ABC. They blame it for their own marketplace stupidity ...

And that's why blather about a free market bias in the commercial world of the reptiles is marvellous fun to read.

Despite their very best endeavours, and the worst efforts of big Mal, Australia is slowly getting faster broadband, and consumer habits are changing, and all of this was predicted many years ago, and the reptiles paid no heed ...

Now if they think making Q and A as dull as ditchwater and respectable in a current affairs way will sort out their commercial marketplace problems - as opposed to degutting the editorial independence of the ABC - it will be like all their other pronouncements about the Twitterati.

Which is code for alienating the young demographic, and like dinosaurs becoming irrelevant to anyone except themselves ...

It's called lzyardmandias ...