This offensively stupid spin exposes the lack of thinking about political ideas, process and policy in the Labor Party. It refuses to see past the extractive destructive industries of the past and imagine a better future.

If free to air tv is indeed in such trouble and is so important, develop policy and financing to help it. Using it as an excuse not to act to rein in a horribly destructive business like gambling is neoliberal capitalist nonsense.

And prohibition doesn’t work if you’re talking about prohibiting smoking or drugs or gambling. But prohibiting advertising DOES work. Shorten must know that, surely.

We have to ditch this blinkered politics of the past and move towards a better path.