I know who I would believe and Ferguson characterises Swan to a tee describing him as an apparatchik and someone in the comments section nails Swan even better.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nationa ... mm-premium" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;put simply, Swan is incorrigibly impetuous. not caring for the long-term political ramifications of b;latantly disregarding mining corporations, he saw in this his chance to solidify his persona as some sort of lenin-type leader of the proletariat by scoring big against the "fat-cats". hilarious to see how the tax, as it was eventually constiuted, achieved sweet nothing
FORMER resources minister Martin Ferguson has accused Wayne Swan of misleading and ambushing the mining industry over his proposed mining tax, of betraying Mr Ferguson and of provoking the industry campaign against the former Labor government. “I was misled by Swan,” Mr Ferguson said in an exclusive interview. “The industry was promised full and proper consultations. But Swan had no intention of that. Wayne does not like meetings and argument. He likes to ambush you with the numbers. He is a political apparatchik, not a policy person.”