by Jimmy_041 » Wed Nov 04, 2009 12:00 pm
Some interesting reactions
Readers' Comments
If the shoe was on the other foot and a liberals pollie came out and said they have depression i bet my last dollar Rann and Foley would both be on the ban wagon, pollitics is a very bitchy circle, they are just as bad as each other.
Posted by: lorrainesymonds of 11:37am today
Comment 56 of 56
If he has a depressive illness then I hope he is doing all he can to overcome it. Meanwhile, I dont want him making decisions that affect my future, my childrens future and my States future. The sooner he moves on from his current job the better.
Posted by: Richard of Adelaide 11:36am today
Comment 55 of 56
Half the population has depression, so why is Foley so special? He dosen't stop to think that the financial burden he places on people from government taxes & charges on just about evrything you can imagine.
Posted by: nivag of adelaide 11:36am today
Comment 54 of 56
Come and see me Kevin. I will give you a favourable report
Posted by: Dr Marty of Waymouth Street 11:35am today
Comment 53 of 56
Can we just get this story out of the paper? I really don't want to hear about his personal problems - I just want him to do his job. if he can't do it resign, if he can then do it and shut up. This is just another publicity exercise by the Rann administration to try an win sympathy votes. You want my vote? Build a new stadium in the city, increase public transport and renovate the RAH not rebuild it.
Posted by: Derek of 11:35am today
Comment 52 of 56
to Mario De Ionno. My point is that this revalation of him suffering depression is probably movtivated to shore up sympathy, cloud the problems of his government, and help repair the negative reputation for his gross social behaviour. Peoples private lives should remain private, except he has a public job and is well known and risks behaving badly in public, he should be smarter.
Posted by: Jo of adelaide 11:34am today
Comment 51 of 56
I've been depressed...since Labor came into power. Enough of this nonsense. I understand that depression is a problem. I don't understand why he needs to go public with it and what he seeks to gain by doing so. As is usually the case with this Government, they use strategies to divert attention away from other issues.
Posted by: Graham of Adelaide 11:34am today
Comment 50 of 56
This scenario or publicity stunt is now getting ridiculous. Mike is telling us that Kev is a brave soul? The Kev/Mike depression saga reminds me of the nasty, bullying girls at school telling each other that they are smart, popular and beautiful. How about addressing the real issues boys? Like building a north-south freeway, solving water issues, and not wasting $2billion state revenue on a new hospital on prime CBD land. Ex-labor youth and disillusioned.
Posted by: Connor winstonopoulos barkman of tragelaide 11:33am today
Comment 49 of 56
I'm not a fan of labor or of Foley, but he deserves some space to deal with his condition, and great respect for acknowledging the issue. He and beyondblue and other sufferers deserve more considerate comments than the spiteful vitriol being served up here. I'm remorselessly happy, but I'm sure I would be totally depressed having to work with, and pretend to like and support, Mike Rann. Now that's another story...
Posted by: Mark of Tusmore 11:32am today
Comment 48 of 56
Its all the Liberals fault. A word according to Mike Rann!
Posted by: Anthony of Thebarton 11:32am today
Comment 47 of 56
Nice coincidence that the advert on this page talks about toughening the fuic up ... how appropriate!! And I am not making light of depression, I know it is a terrible and debilitating condition and I feel for those suffering from it. I just don't believe that someone who goes to bars trying to pick up young chicks is really suffering as badly as he wants us to believe.
Posted by: Nathan of Adelaide 11:29am today
Comment 46 of 56
Shut up Rann! We really don't want to hear from you or your sad Ministers anymore.
Posted by: JAX of adel 11:24am today
Comment 45 of 56
He seems to be getting a lot of sympathy from all this, I hope he now realises the anxiety his pushing of Shared Services in the public sector is having on hundreds of human beings under him. His bully attitude is causing others depression and he cares not.
Posted by: Blue of Melrose Park 11:23am today
Comment 44 of 56
He should resign,any one with Mental health issues should not have the power he has.After all you cant even have a heavy vehicle licence if you are proven to have Mental health issues.
Posted by: Stephen of Strathalbyn 11:18am today
Comment 43 of 56
He is a slease playing the public as fools again.. i'm depressed trying to run a business, in a city controlled by Rann and Foley. Time to change government to see who will control Adelaide next...
Posted by: Nathan of Adelaide 11:16am today
Comment 42 of 56
TThe More we hear from Rann on this issue the more I suspect it was set up to take pressure away from him and his Government¿s performance. That¿s it Mike go for the sympathy vote and blame the Liberals for all you woes
Posted by: Penny Dropped of Campbelltown 11:15am today
Comment 41 of 56
Hey Foley. Go to your local chemist, buy a bottle of Harden up and take it all. Or just bugger off and retire on your huge TAXPAYER funded LIFETIME + free everything pension. Sook...
Posted by: Jack Doff of Brighton 11:15am today
Comment 40 of 56
This is another example of the death of the real Aussie Bloke. All these pathetic men crying about their problems is just sickening. If Kevin Foley feels lonely he should deflated his head and clean out his potty mouth, maybe then he will get a woman.
Posted by: william of Parkholme 11:13am today
Comment 39 of 56
This story is becoming farcical. Show-pony Foley et al criticise the Opposition for saying he should consider stepping aside in response to Saturday's puff piece where Foley himself questioned his will to continue in the role (no mention of depression at this point)! Show-pony and Rannt now claim the Opposition need to apologise because Foley announces (AFTER the Oppositions comments) that he has depression. Last night, Jeff Kennett (wearing his Beyond Blue hat) further issues a statement stating that the Opposition don't have to go soft on the Treasurer, as he still has to perform in his chosen role. Enough of this nonsense! If Rannt is so concerned with his colleague, pump more investment into mental health! This is yet another appalling media stunt. Show-pony should NOT stand aside by virtue of his illness, but perhaps this Government needs to be stood down for the contempt with which they hold the intelligence of the SA public. Let's hope the Independents have a solid showing in 2010 to hold this mob to account.
Posted by: Roman of North Adelaide 11:13am today
Comment 38 of 56
There is one serious side effect to Kevins depression and that is the SUPPRESSION I have been suffering since he has been treasurer.Where has all the surplus state money gone??
Posted by: John of Adelaide 11:13am today
Comment 37 of 56
Geez Mr Rann, the mafia could well be known as un sympathic. Why didnt you use Italy as an example?
Posted by: Anthony of Thebarton 11:11am today
Comment 36 of 56
I can't find the Opposition reaction on this web site - only Mr Rann's opinion that it is inadequate. How about full and complete reporting!
Posted by: Peter of Adelaide 11:11am today
Comment 35 of 56
I believe that Foley may have sounded the 'death-knell' of the present Government by what might be a very injudicious interview last weekend. Regardless of how admirable his confession of 'tablet-managed depression' might be....I think a public perception of a head-kicker turned toe-sucker does nothing for Rann's crew in terms of toughness or even intellectualism. I would be surprised if the Opposition did NOT attack this display of weakness - not that of Foley per se....but of the Government permitting it to happen! For if it was Foley's decision alone to wear his gastrics upon his sleeve - surely it was badly decided and reflects the poorer upon the integrity of his 'Team' !!
Posted by: Joseph Tiller of Adelaide 11:11am today
Comment 34 of 56
Jo of Adelaide, so what if he parties that is a personal nothing to do with the way he runs the state which is not in recession and has low unemployment. Enough is enough of Adelaide, he has an illness that he has had over 3 years how is that spin. the libs are full of spin.
Posted by: Mario De Ionno. of Adelaide. 11:09am today
Comment 33 of 56
I wanted to check to see if The Advertiser alone published the "middle eastern" comment but the ABC also has as well. Proves Mike Rann did say it.
Posted by: Edmund Rishani of St Peters 11:09am today
Comment 32 of 56
I agree with Enough is Enough of Adelaide. What goes around comes around. He acts like a bully, is a bully and his conscience gets the better of him. Cries a lot! What hope have we for our State when we have persons of this calibre running the place. Get over it Kevin, you are pathetic.
Posted by: Lochie of Adelaide 11:09am today
Comment 31 of 56
Why exactly did he feel the need to go public with this health issue anyway. Personally, I think he should have kept it between his boss and his doctors (of which he has had a few by the sounds of it). His health issues don't concern us unless they do in fact affect the way he does his job. He did make a comment that some of his outbursts may be due to his depression - You could take that as not being able to do his job efficiently by not being in complete control. I'm glad I don't work for him. I don't think all of his bad behaviour should be blamed on depression.
Posted by: Cynical Me.. of Adelaide 11:09am today
Comment 30 of 56
Well done Foley for coming forward, it would have taken courage and if it helps others to get support then this is a good thing¿. However I think it is very hypocritical of the government lawyers as directed from the state government to say there is no such thing as depression when my partner had a claim for bullying in the workplace and suffered depression from it and they rejected her claim¿ another case of double standards!!! If Foley wants to make a difference he should take a look at how workcover cases are handled by the government.
Posted by: Annoyed of 11:09am today
Comment 29 of 56
"SA had a Treasurer who had regained the state's AAA credit rating and had returned the Budget to surplus" pull the other one. The fact is China and Japan returned the state to budget surplus thanks to mining royalties distributed by the Federal Government, the billions in increased taxes, increased fees and fines we suffer every day was just the cherry on a very big cake Rann and Co did nothing with. If you look through the SPIN the reality is he has blown billions of our taxes gambling on the stock market, he has watched the underfunded black hole of work cover gobble up injured workers, he has watched portfolio after portfolio go over budget and return reduced services while increasing the cost and size of government by billions. SA's books are in the red, borrowing to keep it look balanced is a con, the books will only get worse and Foley has no solution, no plan and no end game. His is a joke today, he was a joke yesterday and will still be a joke tomorrow REGARDLESS OF HIS PERSONAL LIFE!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Jokerswild of Twice as nice 2000 11:08am today
Comment 28 of 56
This coming form the pair that sold off mental health assets and massively underfunded the mental health system zzzzzzzzzzzz
Posted by: concerned of Adelaide 11:08am today
Comment 27 of 56
Depression actually is a mental illness - enough of this story.
Posted by: Maurie Bund of Adelaide 11:06am today
Comment 26 of 56
Has Mr Rann got a gripe against Middle Eastern people now? How long before Middle eastern born South Australians are classified under the Serious and Organised Crime act and control orders are to be placed?
Posted by: Edmund Rishani of St Peters 11:05am today
Comment 25 of 56
How lucky this state is to have so many experts on mental health and social workers, really wonder why we have the nations most bizzare murders..
Posted by: Charlie of Mile End 11:05am today
Comment 24 of 56
I am surprised at how lightly Foley has got off here. So far the remarks have been pretty tame on this site. I just wonder about the timing. It's MOvember...what better time to come out with this kind of revelation when focus is on mens cancer and depression....who would dare have a crack at him? I just dont think Foley can shed enough filth from his image to repair the damage done. His behaviour is appalling and in the real world people would give him a very wide berth indeed. Which came first? The depression causing the bad behaviour or the bad behaviour causing the depression when you realise that people are repulsed by you? My sympathy is wholeheartedly with any person who truly suffers this terrible condition.
Posted by: Bob Loblaw of Adelaide 11:04am today
Comment 23 of 56
The American political system gets one thing right, they sack the leader after 2 terms. Look at the statesmen we have had in this stae during my life time, Playford ,Dunstan & Bannon. Federaly Menzies, Fraser, Hawke, Keeting and Howard. They all did their good work in the first two termsof office, then it fell apart. That should be part of our state constitution so our good pollies do not burn out. We have so few of them.
Posted by: carol of parkside 11:02am today
Comment 22 of 56
Any sensible person would be sympathetic to Kevin Foley in his public admission of depression, but it is all the other stuff about poor lonely Kev that appeared in last weekend's paper that I find hard to feel sympathy for.As far as the Opposition goes, what 'smearing, sneering" is Rann on about. I thought Isabel Redmond's statement was one of sympathy and encouragement. I join her in these sentiments toward Mr Foley.
Posted by: Come On of Adelaide 11:01am today
Comment 21 of 56
Mike Rann would be more than happy this has come out in the open. It takes a lot of pressure off his own problems. Naturally he is going to try to paint the Liberals as being despicable, it's all part of the political game. I feel sure there is more spin than substance to this whole story.
Posted by: Ian of SW Queensland 11:01am today
Comment 20 of 56
Get a life, am sick of this rubbish, there are more important issues of the "State" need to be fix than worrying about his personal problems.
Posted by: Neville007 of "Down South 11:01am today
Comment 19 of 56
OK - that's enough of this sickening sap - it's disgracefully cynical and manipulative. No one is being 'brave' - they are just playing a very low and calculated game. It was vomit-inducing from the very start - and nothing's changed.
Posted by: Vegan of Adelaide 11:00am today
Comment 18 of 56
jeez this gets better by the day. And if Isobel Redmond had come out and said that, Rann would have come out with something like don't be so patrionising. who now is trying to run the gutter/smear politics I wonder. Lets just get back to politics - enough of this bullsh-t... you politician work stuff all now so how about doing some real work for a change. anybody else doing this in there place of employment would be sacked for bullying and so forth.
Posted by: Clayton Caves of 10:58am today
Comment 17 of 56
"Mr Foley's story is incredibly boring" - I'm sure it was misquoted in the original
Posted by: Fair Crack of the Whip 10:57am today
Comment 16 of 56
Thank you Kevin,you have done a great job,you have kept this state stable and buoyant as a treasurer should,you put your hand up and contributed to the well being of South Australia, more than what your knockers would have the fortitude or knowledge to do,keep up the great work.
Posted by: Comment of truth of 10:57am today
Comment 15 of 56
What a pity that the the only person throwing stones in this unfotunate revelation is Mike Rann. How can he expect respect for himself when all he can do is throw abuse at the opposition.
Posted by: Depression Sufferer of Adelaide 10:57am today
Comment 14 of 56
Whatever takes the focus off of Mike Rann's poor governance! (or lack therof)... Nice PR work by the PR Party (oops SA Labor party) as usual, interesting how the Labor media machine pump out this 'Foley' story when they are trying to take the focus off Rann. Get some real policy and do something decent for this state Rann, you have been in parliament for 6+ years and whilst building your own ego, achieved nothing positive for this state. Please Liberals, give us some decent policy to vote for at the next election....
Posted by: nice distraction of adelaide 10:56am today
Comment 13 of 56
Good on Kev for being open about a serious issue but i just don't trust the motives behind it. This labour government will take any opportunity to to take the publics eyes off of the rather poor job they are doing. Any time the libs get any momentum or public profile...BAM labour comes up with something to direct the masses attention else where. Funny how this comes only a week after Isobel is out on Hindley St talking to us common folk and being proactive. Now Foley is sudden all human and normal like the rest of us. It would seem the attack dog, bully boy image wasn't working so the spinster's found something else to use.
Posted by: stl of Adelaide 10:55am today
Comment 12 of 56
And why should I care?
Posted by: R of 10:55am today
Comment 11 of 56
It appears that Mr Rann is now smearing people on the other side of the planet with his comment "We don't live in the Middle East"
Posted by: Stewart of Christies 10:53am today
Comment 10 of 56
How about we drop this whole subject since it is simply a ruse by the State Labor Party to deflect attention from other issues and what they haven't achieved in over a decade. Sufficient water so we don't have restrictions? Sufficient electricity so we don't have brownouts? Sufficient police so we can walk down the streets without being approached by knife-wielding immigrant gangs?
Posted by: Tony of Poorakistan 10:52am today
Comment 9 of 56
I come from the Middle East, and I would like Mike Rann to explain why he the comment that refers people from the Middle east dont show sympathy! This is a disgraceful comment from the Premier of this state when a lot of hard working Middle eastern people have come to this country and settled in Adelaide and made a huge contribution. There are a lot of examples such as the Shahins, Chehades, the David brothers, George Joseph (former Lord mayor) plus many, many more!
Posted by: Joseph Haddad of Netherby 10:49am today
Comment 8 of 56
And the Rann Labor Government wouldn't have sneered or smeared had this admission come from an Opposition member?!?! This is being milked for all it's worth by the Government with the assistance of a sensationalist media. I am so over it, when are we going to be reading about Bec and Lleyton again??
Posted by: Average Girl of Next Door 10:49am today
Comment 7 of 56
At the risk of sounding heartless, i dont think the Kevin Foley suffering from depression negates his social behaviour when he is out in bars and trying to chat up much younger women. Whilst publicly admitting he suffers from depression is admirable, i dont think it excuses his late night social behaviour. I have seen him at work, and the negative social reputation he has is well deserved.
Posted by: Jo of Adelaide 10:46am today
Comment 6 of 56
Please give us all a break, the spin is overpowering and we have all had enough , these guys are past redemption and should look forward to their life after politics.
Posted by: Enough is enough of Adelaide 10:46am today
Comment 5 of 56
"We don't live in the Middle East" and what does Mr Rann mean by that exactly?????
Posted by: Tony of Exeter 10:44am today
Comment 4 of 56
Like it or not for some people, MP's are human too. I also think it took a lot of courage to go public with something as personal as Foley did. Would those who are complaining had the guts to admit publically? I doubt it very much.
Posted by: Darren of Adelaide 10:42am today
Comment 3 of 56
Why is it that Rann is always the one playing dirty politics and then accuses the opposition of playing dirth when they make legitimate statements. It would be good to not have to hear or read about Mike Rann for a while. He is just irritating now.
Posted by: Andrew of UNley 10:41am today
Comment 2 of 56
Enough of this story BORING
Posted by: harry of woodville 10:41am today
Comment 1 of 56
dedja: Dunno, I’m just an idiot.
