Gerard Henderson Has Some Nerve

Henderson lambastes those who wrongly predicted a Labor win in 2004:

'This served as a reminder as to what McKew was up to about this time in the election cycle three years ago. In an extraordinary interview on ABC Metropolitan Radio on September 30, 2004, the then ABC presenter declared that the then Labor leader Mark Latham "will make it" as prime minister. She even fantasised that "the inevitability of the Latham ascension" was such that he "might" become prime minister by April 2005, even if he lost the election in October 2004. Really.'

'All it demonstrated was that McKew lacked judgment and engaged in wish fulfilment, at least where Latham was concerned. She was not alone, in ABC circles at least. '

Henderson relays this detail (with obvious relish) while arguing that to wrongly predict something doesn't make one a liar, which is his main argument. But who can help but see the joy with which he points out McKew's folly. It's not the first time. He once got into Matt Price for predicting a Latham win in 2004 also. This has made me consider this exchange:

TONY JONES: George is not going to give us the figures, quite rightly, but what he was suggesting is that the lead on that is actually narrowing, so it's going back towards Labor's way there as well, even on the economy.

GERARD HENDERSON: Well, it might have narrowed but it would have narrowed from a substantial margin for that kind of figure. But we'll see and I don't know, I'm not a prophet unlike Mr Bolt in Melbourne. But it's not good news.

ANDREW BOLT: Hello Gerard, Gerard we know your game, you'll sit on the fence, not say anything. You're paid danger money to predict, and at the end of it all you'll run your little essays every election, pinging those who had the guts to say something, but were wrong. Now come on, you're paid danger money to make a prediction, make one.

GERARD HENDERSON: Andrew, all I... the only... all I know is that all the prophets I know have been foul prophets, all of them. And I don't run down the...

ANDREW BOLT: ...and I'll say 10 seats, I'll say 10 seats how about you?

GERARD HENDERSON: I won't get into that.

TONY JONES: Fair enough. Let's...

ANDREW BOLT: Reserve the right to be smart arse afterwards.

TONY JONES: Let's...

GERARD HENDERSON: No, I was smart before. I think not making predictions is pretty clever actually.

Who the hell does Henderson think he is attacking others for their wrong predictions while refraining from making any himself?