The key issue is that if these offences occured when he had no association with the club then how does it relate to his AFL role. And let's get a sense of perspective. He hasn't murdered anyone.

The Ben Cousins thing is an issue not because Ben in the past used drugs, otherwise why wouldn't Kerr, Fletcher Chick etc be fronting, it's because Ben Cousins continues to use drugs. Basically Ben is a mess and it is a medical probelm anyway.

Dick Pratt's was a civil and not criminal case. His CEO has claimed he was the prime mover. Dick is a tough ruthless businessman, you don't get to be a billionaire by not having a bit of mongrel. What he did was dishonest but let's face it, the hard edge of capitalism is to destroy your opposition and make as much as you can. The hard edge is not pretty, and often veers along the line between ruthlessness and dishonesty. Let's not be so naive as to think that being filthy rich mean you are a nice guy, most filthy rich people are not all that nice. Making lots of money involves lots of things including exploitation of people, laws, situations.

And how much price fixing goes on? A fair bit unofficially I would think. It is just a pity this had to happen now and to him. Dick was only going to stay for two years anyway. And because Amcor rolled over they get off totally free.

And all this stuff about "robbing a nation".... Isn't capitalism about screwing as much money as you can from the market? Are Bunnings nice guys for destroying all smaller hardware stores? How long has cartel behaviour been illegal, seems like it has happened lots in the past.

Anyway Dick is a ruthless businessman, not averse to brutal capitalism, not a pretty look. But it happened in the past, he has been punished. I am not sure that price fixing is that heinous anyway. I just assume it happens all the time because big successful businessmen rarely let honesty or integrity get in the way of making a buck. At least with Dick a lot of the profits went into social projects.

And if he was ripping off Coca Cola Amatil, then that doesn't really bother me, they are filthy exploitative capitalists themselves, and I don't drink coke.

The timing of the offences is not really an issue for me. The fact is, if he wasn't caught, the cartel would still exist. It wasn't as if he stopped as he knew it was wrong and had a change of heart.

An example would be if you employed someone at a bank, or some financial institution, and while they worked for you it was discovered they had committed serious fraud in the past. Yes it happened, in the past, but you wouldn't keep them on.

While a little unsure, I would like to see a quiet handover soon.

It's the media who bring the game into disrepute, not Richard Pratt or Ben Cousins.

Just a thought:

If a team such as the Western Bulldogs wanted to reduce the price of their memberships by 25%, because they identified a market niche of lower-income supporters, and wanted to gain a competitive advantage against all other clubs amongst the lower-income demographic, do you think the AFL would let them?

Or would the AFL force the Bulldogs to charge the same price as everyone else? Effectively fixing the price for a club membership.

Interesting

Nah, that's different.

Crowds are up, ratings are up.

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Who else but 9 just had a Newsbreak announcing that "Disgraced Businessman Richard Pratt will have to front the AFL Commission to defend his right to be President of Carlton"...........

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No ones listening till you make a mistake.

Yeah, there is definitely a media campaign against the Blues.

How come Realfooty.com.au has nothing on Carlton's new sponsorship deal?

Oh sorry... i found it. Guess where?

Hidden away at the bottom of another article attacking our President.

Disgraceful.




Nothing on Judd's guernsey?


and all the time they keep fabricating stories about Dick Pratt in the meantime.

Dick Pratt is a legend in my books. Nothing will change that - no media driven campaign.


I AM ANGRY !!!- GO BLUES !!!

Are we still "allowed" to have Visy as a shorts sponsor? Surely, the AFL must rule against that? I mean, every match, on the same piece of apparel as the revered AFL logo will be the name of the biggest corporate cheat in Australia's, no the world's, history.

Will the league introduce a "V" (for Visy) chip that will automatically pixelate the name of our sponsor everytime that it comes on screen? This can't stand, they have $7000 billion of my money which I kept in a jar by the door.

Why won't someone think of the children?


Seriously, I'm not wild about what Amcor, Visy and Richard Pratt did. I have long admired Richard Pratt's achievements as a business leader and as a philanthropist and was disappointed to read about what went on. I am uncomfortable about the image that it projects of our club but I think any image damage will be short term. I am also pragmatic about it. Is the CFC better off with Richard Pratt being our President? Does Richard Pratt staying on as Carlton President give him a chance to even partially rebuild his shattered reputation? To me the answer is yes and the noises coming from opposition supporters and some of the media has more to do with people realising that with Pratt at the club we will no longer be anyone's bitch and less with moral indignation.

The decision about who is to be the President of Carlton is a matter for the members of Carlton and the Board, not the Afl, not a bearded chucker, not a game show host and certainly not for the muppets who ring up talkback radio stations, (sporting or otherwise). If we vote for the Board and the Board votes him as President then I will loose no sleep over it.


Sorry, just needed to vent. Carry on everyone!

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In Bolts we trust.......Until we don't anymore

little bit of paranoia creeping in fellas?

who cares what the rest think. really

Pratt has shamed himself and not football

Pretty interesting article by Mike Shehan, quite well balanced and doesn't involve any sensationalism.

It's good to finally have some sense return to the football media.

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"If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself" - Henry Ford

This from Sam Lane this morning. I've written an e-mail to Sam to state that the only 'mounting criticism' Richard Pratt is facing is from the Melbourne Media! The ACCC is finished with the Visy case. Those who have been working on it have returned to their usual work. The class action will come and go - Visy will take it on the chin - they've already instigated positive measures to reinforce the brand as eco-friendly. In fact it's probably going to be Amcor that suffers more from this and Visy will - in the long run - get what it was after, albeit at a cost.

This battle was a lot more about perceived power in the Jewish community (Pratt vs. Samuel) than people realise. Now why isn't that getting written about? Makes for a fascinating mini-series - but due in part to a morbid fascination with Melbourne's former underworld made up of predominantly Italian figures - the power weilded by powerful Jewish figures in this town gets largely ignored by the Melbourne media and thus it's readership as most people in society are gullible enough to believe what the media writes.

I would find it quite astounding if anyone in Melbourne gives two hoots that Pratt and Samuel are Jewish- just like they wouldnt give a flying @#$%&! that disgraced Police heavyweights Ashby and Linnel are both Roman Catholics etc.
There may have been an interesting sub plot to the Smorgon/ Pratt family histories (of late based mainly on ego rather then any long standing hatred) but Samuels was doing his job for the ACCC and Pratt happened to be one of his main targets- nothing too much to see by way of Jewish figures going after one another I wouldnt think.

Yeah, one of Sheahens better efforts...

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There's so much I could say...

Caroline Wilson could learn from that...

Come to think of it Mike Sheahan could also learn from that...

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Carlton - Nothing's changed
I still love you, oh, I still love you
Only slightly, only slightly less
Than I used to, my love

If Samuel had the guts or intestinal fortitude he would go after the real cartels that rip-off consumers for many more BILLION DOLLARS than the cardboard packaging industry does, and that is the Retail Cartel (Coles and Woolworths) and the Oil Cartel (surprise surprise that would be Coles and Woolworths again).

C'mon Samuel lets see how good you are at investigations which doesnt involve offering BRIBES of immunity of prosecution to make a case stick.

If you could find as weaker characters in Stephen O'Rielly and Amcor in the Retail Industry - you may just save the Australian Public from the true rip off merchants - you piss weak turd.

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

don't forget the political cartel as well - Coalition & Labour

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There's so much I could say...

Can't forget Spotless Catering.

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WADA medical director Dr Alan Vernec describes Essendon* FC drug case as biggest scandal in team sport the world of sport has seen. #WC2WB

#GUILTY

Thats not a cartel thats a fricken price gouging card carrying monopoly operation.

Mt Franklin 500ml Water (cost price to Spotless around 50cents) price at the MCG $4.00.

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"Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks"?

Winston Churchill

Yes mate....cartels are the way of the business world....always have been.

What about the Cigarette Companies?....all in bed together....and always will be.

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No ones listening till you make a mistake.

pratt was guilty of a massive ripoff.

just because he's our president doesn't mean they shouldn't have gone after him agro.

but it's got absolutely nothing to do with Carlton, so the journos need to calm down