Contributed from Victoria

One can knock Victoria’s premier Dan Andrews for not being sensitive enough during the current lockdown. More could have been done to explain and win people’s confidence and get them involved. But the politically opportunist vendetta being waged against him by News Corp is something else.

Day after day there have been highly derogatory claims and shock jock accusations, without a shred to back them up. This has been tabloid journalism at its worst.

Little concern for the victims of Covid-19 all along. At first it was that is all a beat up. It is nothing more than a case of flu. At times a series of conspiracy theories have been peddled. Lockdowns, testing, wearing masks and sanitation were attacked as unnecessary, and a cover for big brother intervention.

Then there was the turn around. A Black Lives Matter march was attacked for putting the state at risk. news Corp’s usual suspects demanded that those who were there be charged for criminal conduct. It was meant to drive public opinion in the opposite direction.

You can’t have it both ways. Unless that is, it applies to those you don’t like. It was all right to go to sporting. But anything that is contaminated by that which News Corp does not approve, is beyond the pale.

It got worse when the second wave hit Melbourne. The premier was not doing enough and making a mess of the whole thing. The demand for his resignation was loud and clear. Rumours were spread about the origins of this second wave, as if they were substantiated fact.

This business has exposed a hypocritical double standard.

For all the shortcomings, Victoria has done more than any other part of Australia to combat the pandemic. It’s just that everything can’t be controlled, and new breakouts can occur anywhere. This is the nature of viral infections.

The aim was to force through a change of government, or at least get the premier to resign and create political instability. Newscorp wants to install government more faithful to its political agenda.

After weeks of mudslinging a poll was organised, and in line with most New Corp polls, it was going to demonstrate that the population of Australia agreed with the content of the mudslinging. It backfired. Two thirds of respondents said they backed how Daniel Andrews is tackling the pandemic.

Rather than coming to terms with it, News Corp is sweeping its failure under the carpet.

No doubt it will soon start up again. At least it seems people are waking up to the con artists.