Try again, SM...

We don't honour the memory of those Jews and their Holocaust experiences by backing a psychotic land-grabber and slaughter-monger like Netanyahu.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2015/03/anti-netanyahu-rally-draws-huge-crowd-israeli-city-150307222711606.html

"Tens of thousands of Israelis have gathered at a Tel Aviv square calling for Benjamin Netanyahu to be replaced as the prime minister in national elections scheduled to be held on March 17.

Police gave no official figures, but Israeli media said that about 30,000 people attended the rally on Saturday, which was held under the banner "Israel wants a change."

The rally's keynote speaker was Meir Dagan, a former Mossad chief, who recently criticised Netanyahu's conduct and called him "the person who has caused the greatest strategic damage to Israel"."

Poirot,

Middle eastern politics is complex.

All that does is underline that the Q&A producers set out to use and abuse an actor's celebrity to spice up their flagging show.

The Q&A producers had no intention of any worthwhile analysis and discussion of the middle east. They knew that Mangolyes is touring Oz very shortly and took advantage of her need for publicity to set her up for some superficial throw-away comments to generate controversy and hopefully headlines (or at the very least to set off the chattering self-indulgent twits of the Twitterati with their fatuous part sentences).

This is what Mangolyes should be interviewed about,
http://miriammargolyes.com/events/the_importance_of_being_miriam_australian_tour_16th_march_24th_may_2015

"A passionate discovery of words and music.
On this world premiere Australian tour, internationally renowned actress Miriam Margolyes brings to the stage some of literature's best known characters. Lady Bracknell, Mrs Malaprop, Jane Austen's Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and Mrs Corney and Mr Bumble from Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, are amongst the unforgettable figures brought vividly to life by the award-winning star of stage and screen in The Importance of Being Miriam."

The Q&A producers are cynical and superficial. Q&A is circus entertainment. Clownish. The panels and the public deserve better. The taxpayer's $$, 1.3billion of those dollars forcibly taken from the public as taxes, should deliver much better programs than that.

The ABC needs new blood and routine, regular job mobility.

"Q and A," is a talk show - but not the usual
talk show where the host of the show is in
full control and merely interviews
his chosen guests.

On "Q and A" its the audience that
asks the questions. And that makes the show
unique. "Q and A" is its website tells us
is about democracy in action.

It's live to air - which
means that its happening as viewers watch and
the show is all about encouraging people to
engage with politics and society.

We know - that it doesn't matter who you
are or where you're from - everyone can have a go and
take it up to our politicians and opinion makers.

Here's a few quotes from panelists who have been on
the show:

From Jonathan Biggins, actor, director, singer, writer,
and comedian:

"The great joy of "Q and A, is ... the thrill of sitting
next to Barnaby Joyce..."

From Tim Wilson, Policy Analyst and Director of the Institute
of Public Affairs:

"Q and A is a weekly reminder that its questions are
as important as the answers..."

From Brendan Gale, Australian Rules football Administrator
and former player:

"Thanks Q and A for a true people's parliament."

And of course -everyone seems to agree -
that Tony Jones manages difficult situations
with diplomatic flair.

Due to time constraints - "Q and A," cannot provide
an "in-depth analysis" on any given issue. The panelists are
required to keep their answers brief and allow others to
have their say. But then any regular viewer of the show
would be well aware of this - and the show's format.
It's the diversity of opinions and the fact that it is
live to air - that makes it worth watching.
As Miriam Margolyes showed us last Monday night when
she said what so many of us thought on national television.

Looking forward to this evening's show - with an all woman's
panel, celebrating "International Woman's Day".
Should be a memorable evening.

Yawn, another international year of [insert the dozens of options].

Been done to death.

Lazy journalism. Just rolling the arm over for the usual circus. Another of the ABC's and Q&A's rituals for the converted, living in a rut. Production and scheduling that are as predictable as a hamster wheel.

However if they really, really must do 'women' over and over, what about one day recognising that women differ, women have choice and women go through many transitions in their lives. BY CHOICE. It isn't just the narrow confines of career that Australian feminists dictate for women.

Now back to the Q&A producers' cynical use and abuse of Mangolyes' celebrity. Fat lot the ABC cared about her skills and learning and what she could have contributed, given the right programming and interviewer.

Poirot,

So Netanyahu is "a psychotic land-grabber and slaughter-monger"? On a par with Hitler then?

So what do you think of Hamas that is unelected and enforces a regime of fear in Gaza. This includes regularly executing anyone in Gaza that challenges their regime, gays etc, deliberately targeting Israeli citizens incl kidnapping and murdering Israeli school children, and starts a war with Israel and using its civilians as human shields.

If you compare what is happening in the west bank to Gaza, then you get some idea how a government that actually cares for its people behaves.

By any standards Netanyahu is far more civilised than Hamas.

otb,

"Now back to the Q&A producers' cynical use and abuse of Mangolyes' celebrity..."

Sorry....?

You seem to have missed the fact that you're waffling on to yourself about that.

No-one else is interested.

SM,

I think it's crystal clear what Netanyahu represents - and, if you cared to do your research, you'd know that he's done everything he can to undermine peace efforts with the Palestinian Authority - even after Hamas ceded power to them.

How many civilians, men, women and kids does a bloke and his army have to massacre in cold blood before the eyes of world, before you recognise he's the problem - not the solution.

There aren't many armies that the West admires who have chased defenceless civilians up and down the streets of their ghetto, fired on schools, hospitals and UN designated safe compounds with advanced weaponry - slaughtering and blowing these people to smithereens - 600 children among the 2,000 massacred in Netanyahu's insane effort last year.

Compare him to the likes of Hitler? I didn't do that, you did.

And, let's face it, if you're talking about demented evil aggressors - if the cap fits...

Here's what they did directly in the wake of their slaughter-fest...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2739781/Israel-fire-largest-West-Bank-land-grab-30-years-soldiers-swoop-1-000-acres-Palestinian-territory.html

"Israel’s decision to grab nearly 1,000 acres of Palestinian land to build settlements was condemned by David Cameron yesterday as ‘utterly deplorable’.

Israel announced on Sunday that an area of the West Bank, near existing settlements at Etzion, south of Bethlehem, has been designated as ‘state land’ which means it can be used for homes for Israelis.

The move came days after an indefinite ceasefire brought an end to weeks of conflict in Gaza during which more than 2,100 Palestinians and 73 Israelis were killed."

(Most of those Israelis killed were soldiers)