Clive Palmer calls himself a political prisoner

Perhaps a more unusual style of campaigning, but in a newly launched television advertisement Clive Palmer claims he is a ‘political prisoner’ who has been victimised in a ‘trial by media’.

Published by the Palmer United Party, the video features the deep throaty voice of David Wright and imagery of barbed wire with calls for Australians to ‘release a political prisoner’.

“Everyone’s entitled to a fair trial in Australia,” the advertisement starts. “Unless you’re Clive Palmer, then it’s trial by media.”

The advertisement claims the media will “stop at nothing” to get Palmer out of government and the “real achievements Palmer United has made for our country” are being overlooked.

In an appearance on the ABC’s Q&A program, Palmer says among the the party’s achievements it has stopped the co-payment, changes to university, and $10 billion of cuts to “people on struggle street”; it has help free 436 children and 1,500 adults from Christmas Island.

The advertisement was supposedly authorised by ‘Declan Sheridan for the Committee of Free Speech, Brisbane’.

It would seem Clive Palmer is looking to rebuild his brand after recent evidence suggests he funnelled more than $200 million from Queensland Nickel prior to it going into liquidation.

Palmer denies acting inappropriately and has publicly claimed he was entitled to act in the manner in which he did under the terms of the refinery’s joint venture agreement.

What do you think? Do you believe Clive Palmer is involved in a trial by media?