Abbott’s Nice New Parliament

Image from newmatilda.com (Via RubyGoes, Flickr)

In a speech to the Western Australia Liberal Party last weekend Prime Minister Tony Abbott promised a “respectful” new parliament when it assembles for the first time on Tuesday 12 November, promising the Labor years will soon fade like “a bad memory”.

Here are some other snippets from his speech:

Mr Abbott pledged a parliament that “discusses the issues, rather than abuses individuals”.

The prime minister said the parliament wouldn’t impugn the motives of opponents or trash their reputations.

If anyone tried to go over the top, new Speaker Bronwyn Bishop would sort them out.

“And I am confident that after just a few weeks of the new parliament – that parliament that diminished our policy and embarrassed our citizens over the last three years – will soon seem like just a bad dream’’.

“I want to say that we have made a good start, that the adults are back in charge and that strong, stable, methodical and purposeful government is once more the rule in our national capital”.

“I think all of you will have noticed that there is a new tone and a new style in Canberra”.

“Yes, we will speak when we need to speak. But we won’t speak for the sake of speaking and we won’t bang on things for the purposes of a PR gesture”.

He is also on the record as saying this:

“We will restore accountability and improve transparency measures to be more accountable to the public”.

Sometimes I have to pinch myself in order to know that what I am reading, seeing and hearing is in fact real.

Let’s backtrack to Tony Abbott, Opposition Leader.

During his tenure as opposition leader he used colourful aggressive language. He was bullish in his attitude to others, particularly to the female Prime Minister of the day. His negativity was legendary. He was a repetitive liar by evidence and by his own admission. He held in contempt procedures of the House of Representatives and the conventions it upheld.

There has been no other Opposition Leader in my memory who has held the institution of Parliament in contempt to the degree Abbott has. He was the leader intent on creating a sense of crisis, of disorder and dysfunction. His sole aim was the forcing of an early election at which he failed miserably.

His appalling parliamentary behavior was on show for all to see. The abuse of Question Time and the endless suspension of standing orders. The constant refusal of pairs. The over use of censure motions and calls for quorums were all designed to distract the minority Labor Government.

The demeanor of him and his parliamentary colleagues (particularly Christopher Pyne) over the period of the Gillard/Rudd Governments was disgraceful and a blight on our parliamentary democracy. It is true that Abbott found a formula (or was the formula) in Opposition that was suited for the political circumstances of the time. The formula will probably never be repeated because it is unique to certain personalities. There are not many who could play the unconscionable bastardy role that he did. Although his gutter mentality was profoundly suited to it.

And now he wants us to believe that after his attempt at the willful destruction and exploitation of our Parliament (including an attempt to overthrow it), and he now expects us to believe all the bullshit at the beginning of this article.

There is something fundamentally wrong with the character of a person who behaves in such a belligerent manner in opposition and then sees no fault in it. Instead he places all fault at the foot of his opponents. It takes a deluded personality to do so.

Now no one can deny that the behavior of our politicians needs an urgent makeover and we will find it to some degree in this Parliament. However the reasons will not be of the Government’s making. It will be because on the floor the Government has a sizable majority which takes the tone down. Tony Abbott, the new one that is, will as Prime Minister take on a more dignified persona and Bill Shorten is not a negative personality.

Christopher Pyne as the new Leader of the House has already indicated a more reasoned approach to debate despite holding the record as the most ejected politician in Parliamentary history. No one has ever feigned indignation better than the most disliked politician in Australia.

And as Speaker of the House, Bronwyn Bishop will preside over the Standing Orders she so often abused.

If the first few weeks of the Abbott led Government have shown anything, it is the contempt with which they hold the Australian people. We are not fools. We know that a politician whose grounding in politics is adversarial cannot simply change from gutter politician to reasoned leader without taking some slime from the residue of his past with him.

If it’s one thing I dislike, it’s politicians who try to con me. This attempt to eliminate facts, science and knowledge in the information age is ignorance that only a Luddite of Abbott’s technological illiteracy could display. I can acknowledge the reasoning of over exposure but I fear the real one is the suppression of material that may affect opinion. Or it is just lying by omission?

Thus far he has shown a propensity to run from questions, avoid criticism, shut down debate and shut the mouths of ministers. He is fast becoming confused by his own cleverness. An attitude born from his period as Opposition Leader where he came to believe his own bullshit. He is like a very bad actor in a performance of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He is not in control of what personality he wants to be and reverts from one to the other without thinking.

And it’s all contrary to this statement:

‘’We will restore accountability and improve transparency measures to be more accountable to the public’’.

Tony Abbott should be judged by his own standards and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

 

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About John Lord 434 Articles
John has a strong interest in politics, especially the workings of a progressive democracy, together with social justice and the common good. He holds a Diploma in Fine Arts and enjoys portraiture, composing music, and writing poetry and short stories. He is also a keen amateur actor. Before retirement John ran his own advertising marketing business.

51 Comments

  1. John, as always you put the dot on the i’s. Does this person believe his own bs? For goodness sake, i can’t believe so. He knew perfectly well what he was doing as a leader of the opposition and now suddenly it is the previous government’s fault that parliament descended into the gutter whereas he was the instigator of the downward trend? And people believe him though i have not found anyone who will admit to voting for him. It really is incredible that this person should represent us and Australia. I can not think of a less worthy person. Thanks for expressing so eloquantly how i feel John.

  2. “I think all of you will have noticed that there is a new tone and a new style in Canberra”

    Yes, the opposition are not acting like spoiled 2 year olds.

  3. If I could express my thoughts as well as you do, I would find nothing to argue with in your entry. The hypocrisy of Abbott and Pyne and seemingly the rest of the LNP is awe-inspiring (or is that “awe-ful”?) in its contemplation.

  4. Oh please let him end up as roundly ridiculed as the Emporer with no clothes. He is the most undeserving nobody to ever set foot in the House, and for him to project their vile behaviour back onto Labor is enough to make us puke. He is so far out of his depth that I hope he’ll beg Labor to take it back and sort out the mess. I cant remember names and times, but I do know such a thing has happened in the dim, dark past.

    His youtube clip from last night is the most wooden performance I’ve ever seen and the kids on reddit are laughing themselves silly at him. That gives me hope.

  5. It is gaslighting pure and simple – make them (the electorate) doubt their own memories and sanity. What is worrying is the entire government have gone along with this appalling strategy without a murmur, and barely a murmur from the opposition. There is no fourth estate to call him on his bullshit and so he (and by extention the Government) feel untouchable. Why wouldn’t they after the last 3 years?
    Abbott refused to show up at the war memorial today because he didn’t want to be shown up by Keating. He has the insticts of an abuser – a bully and a coward. ….god knows what he is like behind closed doors

  6. John, you are firing on all cylinders! You expressed exactly what so many of us have been thinking (but can’t always put it together so succinctly). But don’t worry, John, Bronwyn Bishop is here to “…restore dignity and decorum to parliament”. We can all relax.
    Great work, John, as always.

  7. On the money as usual John, but I’m fairly sure that Abbott does believe his own BS. Unfortunately and frighteningly he so completely unaware and totally lacking in insight that to him it is not BS. He actually believes that all the discord and drama in the last parliament was the doing of the Labor party and their supporters, so we can all look forward to more of this jaw dropping hypocrisy for the duration of the current term. Sickening thought, but it is the reality we get to live with.

  8. John, we used to be able to rely on the MSM to write articles like this. MSM journalists in this country seem to have lost the elementary art of detecting lies and stupidity.

  9. Yes, the hypocrisy and self delusion are breath taking. You have illustrated it very well, John. And there are so many more examples we could quote. If you watch his social media clip, you can see a deeply manipulative man. Hopefully most who watch it will see through him. My daughters (in their 20’s) and their friends did from day one. Pity Bill Shorten and the rest of the Labor cabinet having to deal with this on a daily basis. Ditto Malcom Turnbull.
    I wish these insights would filter through to the mainstream media. And people need to be taught how not to be fooled by weasel words and 3 word slogans posing as policies. Next step is: what to do with these insights?

  10. Australia, led by a Prime Minister born in England,married to a Kiwi, and told what to do by the LNP`S version of a `Faceless women` the unelected Credlin.

  11. John a powerful article full of an ingredient this bullying piece of manure, somehow known as the Australian PM, doesn’t possess – truth.
    He may begin the parliament in a more ‘sober’ frame of mind, however as soon as the roughhouse of debate on contentious matters begins, he will be in like Flynn. It’s in his DNA, a bully, can’t help himself, a serial liar to boot.
    Pyne will never change. He is like the idiot boy, a screaming skull, all he knows. Suffers from a complex of wanting non stop attention from his colleagues, has to be in the limelight, arse wiggle and all.
    Bishop the elder, from the Chair. Supposed to be the moderator, the upholder of the peace and rules. Only beholding to the rules without favour to friend or foe. Yes and pigs will fly. She will have received her direct orders from Credlin, Abbott and Pyne. Bishop is not a woman who forgets and she hated being in Opposition. Mark my words she will take revenge.
    Another worry I have about this Parliament is the way Bill Shorten approaches his new responsibilities and conducts himself. He is close to being the next PM, whether it be in 3 years or less. preferably the latter. I am hoping he will mix vigor and at times anger, with a demeanor that mirrors the attributes of a man ready to lead the country. With Albo we knew what we had and in the main what we would get. Bill’s a different personality completely.
    Interesting times lay ahead, with more fodder already laid out for the Opposition to contemplate. More than they would have possibly expected on the morning of Sunday the 8th September. That morning after.

  12. Doesnt matter to me where he was born or where his wife was born. What matters is how he acts and what actions he takes for our country. And that is enough to worry about

  13. The rabbott is an i crosser and a t dotter. He knows about high moral ground and he know that little billy cannot take advantage of his personality weaknesses, character flaws or mistakes. He will have a new strategy where labor will not be able to ask him awkward questions more than once before ruled out of order by bronnie. Sadly little billy’s mob is no match for any of the inept ministers because they are well muzzled. Kim, background does matter and his is pommie, Vatican, misogynistic and intolerance. Just in case any woman who voted for the nasty 19th century bully reads this. Check the public service changes to discover whether the rabbott has acted on his belief that women should not be leaders. Karen Middleton suggest that all women above the fifth rank of the public service have been downgraded. The great sadness in top end men spouting their wishes was so clearly illustrated in blackadder when the king screamed about ridding me from the meddlesome priest and the zealots did the deed. Absentee rupert made it clear that Gillard had to go and his zealots fell over each other in doing his bidding and the trying to outdo each other in a daily frenzy of negativity which was so cleverly and ruthlessly exploited by an amoral driven bully. He is destined to become our greatest PM because he has no opposition in parliament, in the media, has the support of big business and only has to fool the people for two weeks every three years.

  14. Have no problem with a background brief of a person. But I do have a problem with judgement on the basis of where you or your wife was born. That my friend is called racism

  15. Not only has Tony changed tack at home, his performance overseas is equally hypocritical and being recognised as such.

    Abbott, Bishop and Morrison all told us that they didn’t need Indonesia’s permission to turn back boats. Now they truly ruly respect Indonesia’s sovereignty and would never do such a thing without agreement. And while we’re at it, good job in West Papua. You guys are really making their lives better.

    Abbott couldn’t agree to the Malaysia solution because everyone would be caned and subjected to human rights abuses – nahhhh, just kidding, you know I didn’t mean it. That Xenophon is a real trouble maker.

    We have been battling Japan in the International courts over whaling but it’s not worth bringing up and upsetting our new besties. Oh and about that blue fin tuna thing…we might just put that off for the time being if that’s ok?

    And there’s no problem at all in Sri Lanka. Those Greens Senators deserved to be detained. We won’t let them spoil a good world leaders meeting. Just hope we turn up to the meetings on time this time.

    And you know how we said we didn’t want foreigners buying all our land and businesses – that was just to keep Warren Truss quiet. Open house will be next Saturday – bring your contracts with you. Specially you Indian coal mining magnates. Thanks for the invite to the wedding btw.

    Free trade agreements anyone? Fire sale before end of year. Make us an offer!!

    Foreign Affairs Abbott style: Even if you can’t respect me, please like me because I like you. .

  16. I think the translation is … we won’t let anyone use our oppositional tactics now that we are in government. Bronwyn will see to that.

  17. Xiaoecho 4:22pm, you may have given us all a breakthrough with the term GASLIGHTING. For months I have been desperately trying to conjure up a word or phrase that encapsulates Abbott’s subversive trick of verbally ‘transferring’ his own recalcitrant behaviour onto others, namely Labor. It has been agonising to watch this in action, time and time again, with nobody questioning this brasen brainwashing tactic. Even the MSM (most of whom probably have varying university degrees in journalism, english and/or psychology) appear to have either accepted, ignored, or fallen victim to this technique. Why, I keep asking myself, has this gone on for so long without some focus on this insidious and appaling practice… Xiaoecho, your QandA video above staring Kelly O’Dwyer is a classic example of somebody practising or being a victim of GASLIGHTING.
    Until I read your comment above I did not realise that my education was sorely lacking, because I had never heard of the term GASLIGHTING before. When I looked it up on Wiki I gave thanks. Maybe the term GASLIGHTING is exactly what we need to get out there into the minds of the people, particularly the MSM. Yes, I believe some in the MSM read these articles and comments for their own edification.
    John, bear with me and I apologise for the long comment, but Xiaoecho’s GASLIGHTING could be a turning point.

    Gaslighting – Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
    “Gaslighting….. used to describe efforts to manipulate someone’s sense of reality.”
    “….. sociopaths frequently use gaslighting tactics. Sociopaths consistently transgress social mores, break laws, and exploit others, but are also typically charming and convincing liars who consistently deny wrongdoing. Thus, some who have been victimized by sociopaths may doubt their perceptions.”

    No doubt, for three years the coalition plotted and planned, lied and deceived using psychological techniques, first to win votes and then, to deny that they had any part in it all. If it was revealed that this was a carefully contrived psychological strategy to brainwash the populace, it could have serious consequences.
    Maybe, if the community knows how they were tricked, they will resist and condemn (hopefully ridicule) any further attempts to employ this technique.

  18. A bloody good write, John. And good responses from the panel.
    We all should regard Abbott as a Sociopath (socialised psychopath: ‘A person with an antisocial personality disorder, manifested in aggressive, perverted, criminal, or amoral behavior without empathy or remorse’).

    Now, I am not a person qualified legally to say that but, as a person who has been affected for many years of my working life by people (always managers and up-coming wannabe’s) who I believe were of this aberrant (yet common) disorder I think I am qualified to describe our current pm as such.

    This lower case pm Abbott is certainly a willing puppet to the Capitalist masters who have orchestrated the return of the right-wing sycophants and is currently on the power trip he has always craved.
    And Credlin directs the Cretin.

  19. Joe,

    I think “The Faceless Woman” might have more to do with Gaslighting than Abbott. For him, I’d look to projection.

    Psychological projection … a defense mechanism in which a person unconsciously rejects his or her own unacceptable attributes by ascribing them to objects or persons in the outside world. For example, a person who is rude may accuse other people of being rude.

    Although rooted in early developmental stages, and classed by Vaillant as an immature defence, the projection of one’s negative qualities onto others on a small scale is nevertheless a common process in everyday life.

    That covers “Abbott’s subversive trick of verbally ‘transferring’ his own recalcitrant behaviour onto others“, doesn’t it? 😉

  20. That Abbott is a conniving, hypocritical, self serving opportunist is hardly news and would fail to surprise anyone who wasn’t living under a rock. What disappoints me is the seemingly incurable memory lapses suffered by the Aussie electorate. Howard mastered the art of saying one thing and doing the opposite and nobody noticed for 13 years. It wouldn’t surprise me if half the country was calling our new prime minister, honest-helpful Tony, within six months.

  21. Abbott and his “adult” Government really don’t care how they appear to the majority of the electorate.

    It’s only the Ray Hadley/Alan Jones audience they need to communicate with.

    Spiteful old farts and tradies obsessed with real-estate acquisition.

  22. Thank you Joe Banks. It is gratifying to be heard. What stuns me is how the media have ignored the Governments tactics. They have veguely murmured against the Governments gross hypocrisy regarding policy before and after the election but seem unwilling to speak above a whisper so as not to offend….who? The public (at least those engaged) are already blue with disgust but it is only the fifth estate that has the guts to call it as it is. We must continue because where social media go, the MSM eventually follow.

  23. Thank you John, for expressing so incisively (and far better than I could) what’s what with this sorry, nasty lot. Having been at Sydney Uni at the same time as Abbott, stood (unsuccessfully) for the SRC at the same time, and witnessed his aggressive, nasty, behaviour to a female friend who was elected, I can only say, once a thug, still a thug in his case, and spare me the sanctimonious nonsense about not trashing opponent’s reputations. Some adult!

  24. Bacchus, thank you. My education has received a welcome boost today.
    Yes, I see what you mean, particularly if we look at Abbott’s behaviour in isolation – there is certainly ‘projection’ going on. However, if we stand back and look at him as just the front man of the team, we see a more disturbing pattern, possibly a deliberate strategy to confuse and mislead the population. Gaslighting on a big scale. Let’s combine the two ideas and say, maybe, Abbott’s innate personality (tending to projection) just helps to disguise the plot. He’s a natural and can carry it off convincingly.
    I hope I’m not getting paranoid.
    Thanks again Xiaoecho and thanks janeL.
    John Lord, you certainly got us all thinking tonight.

  25. Well said… and don’t forget that in the next breath he went on to “trash the reputation” of Labor, Tony Windsor and Robb Oakeshott!! This man is out of control and needs urgent psychiatric evaluation. I’m scared.

  26. P.S. Thanks for the term “gaslighting”. That’s exactly what he’s doing yet I hadn’t read an explanation until now. He’s so bold and unashamed with the shit he comes out with that it’s hard not to doubt your sanity or wonder if this is a nightmare. It’s probably some tea party tactic that Credlin picked up while working for the Republicans!

  27. Thank you John for another great post. What is really astounding is that the Liberal voters in the Division of Warringah keep re-electing Abbott even though they surely are intelligent enough to realise just how terrible he is. It is they who will deserve the blame for all that Abbott will get up to.

    Equally astounding is the, seemingly, total lack of anything mentioned in the MSM about Abbott’s apparent non-appearance at ANY Remembrance ceremony on Monday the 11th November, let alone at the major one held at Australia’s War Memorial at Canberra. Apparently, he is the first prime minister to not attend this solemn ceremony at the War Memorial. No one seems to know where he was & why the media never commented on this. Can anyone imagine the over-the-top media uproar if Julia Gillard or Kevin Rudd, as PMs, had not turned up for this ceremony? The media would have screamed blue murder!!! If Abbott did attend a Remembrance ceremony, somewhere, anywhere, it was not reported.

    The media have a great deal to answer for.

  28. If you can ever find it, I haven’t been able to, there is a very telling Lateline interview many years ago conducted by Tony Jones between Lindsay Tanner in opposition and Tony Abbott as I think Health Minister at the time.

    If you want to see Abbott projection in action then this piece is it, and the telling thing is that Abbott doesn’t know he’s doing it. Projection is so ingrained in his persona, probably as a shield for his bullying, that it’s as easy as telling a lie to him.

    In the interview Jones asked Abbott a question on a failure of his portfolio, Abbott does the usual pollie thing and obfuscates, deflecting the question and attacking Tanner. In the attack Abbott makes a fairly serious and unfounded accusation against Tanner/Labor, which Jones immediately picks up on, challenging Abbott.

    Abbott, without hesitation and apparent forethought, attacks Tanner for making the accusation that Abbott himself had just made.

    Jones instantly jumps on this and tells Abbott that he had just made that accusation against Labor, not Tanner making it against the government. Abbott flatly denies it, again accusing Tanner of attacking the government based on a lie, repeating the very lie he had made against the Labor opposition.

    Jones then again accuses Abbott of making the false statement just a couple of minutes earlier, and says he will play it back for Abbott. Abbott then goes into his now famous brain freeze for around 30 seconds, blank stare and nodding head, to be saved by Jones who goes onto another question shaking Abbott out of his freeze and reprieving him from having to face up to his projection.

  29. there’s an old saying that I think is very apt in this case……

    “Give a man enough rope and he will hang himself”…..that’s Abbott….he’s inching his way along that length of rope on a daily basis. He will soon approach the point where he will tie off the knot and slip his neck in the loop. That uber drink driving witch, Credlin will watch, and all her spin will count for nought, and she will be powerless to help him.
    It’s like watching a train crash. it’s happening every day. It’s a wonder to behold the wonder boy of dirty and rancid politics walk so completely unaware into this noose of his own making.
    Three years time, possibly sooner, the lifeless rotten corpse of Abbott will be swinging from the Judas Tree.

  30. Joy, if i am correct i heard on the ABC 7.00 pm news last night that Abbott attended the shrine of rememberance in Melbourne with his mate Naphtine. On ABC online i read that he did not want to attend in Canberra so as not to run into Paul Keating – probably scared Paul would make mince meat out of him.

  31. Kaye Lee Thanks for the link but my eyes glazed over after the first paragraph I’m afraid. So that is when Alan Jones made his idiotic suggestion of shipping fruit as foreign aid. What a prat.

    Anyhow Abbott said he was in Canberra that morning (11th November). Some have said he attended Melbourne’s Remembrance Day ceremony yesterday morning but this wasn’t mentioned by MSM. Wonder why?

    There is no doubt that Abbott has very skewed priorities & shows Australia’s best interests aren’t necessarily his.

  32. Thanks hilderombout. Abbott’s mates at 7 News never mentioned this at all. Think we shall have to station Paul Keating permanently in Canberra.

  33. Yes, John the PM certainly knows how to dissemble and rewrite history! The continual repetition of words and phrases continues apace, for eg. “please, judge us by our actions, judge us by our actions”, a typical persuasive technique of propaganda.

    He unduly claims qualities for himself which are not supported by the evidence. As Opposition Leader, he flaunted himself in front of the media with daily press releases and “promos”. If ever there was over exposure, it was Tony Abbott photographed repeatedly in a brief swimsuit and then commenting publicly that a female had suggested he wear a tighter pair of bathers.

    The Indonesians are astute and having been under colonial rule in the past are well aware of how the new Government is attempting to play the overlord. The PM claims that “the normal international law is that if you are rescued in a country’s search and rescue zone, that country has an obligation to take you.” But Australia does not do this when asylum seekers are rescued in our international waters; we send them to other countries – Nauru or Papua New Guinea – refusing to accept them into our country. So the PM is saying to the Indonesians “do as I say, not as I do”.

    Unfortunately for the PM, he does not have cronies in the Indonesian media as he does here. It is doubtful that Abbott will survive if he fails to deliver for Rupert Murdoch and others who alternately conceal criticism then promote the Government.

  34. Well written John et al with your replies. I too saw Kelly O’Dwyer on Q&A that night – just amazing to watch. Either she really believed what she was saying (even though everyone was laughing at her in disbelief) or she’s been brainwashed by Phoneyman.

  35. Kellie was doing what Peta Credlin insists they do…read the Party lines – Labor are negative, divided and dysfunctional and stress that we are “methodical, responsible adults” with a positive message. Knowing the details of how they will actually achieve anything is apparently irrelevant.

  36. John Lord, you have certainly teased out some intriguing speculation about projection and gaslighting.

    Personally, I would be seriously concerned for the mental welfare of anyone playing the lead role in a planned brain-washing of the population for political purposes. It would be easy to start believing your own lies, repeated often to convince others that “black is white”. Great risk of developing an ‘actual’ psychosis I suspect when pretense becomes reality in the mind.

    Interesting question though: If indeed it was revealed that a government deliberately engaged in large scale ‘Gaslighting’ tactics through the National media, would that be regarded as ‘Psychological Warfare’? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_warfare

    It would surely amount to more than just false information and propaganda because it is designed to manipulate the perception of real events to cause the population to doubt their own judgement.
    It couldn’t work on a savvy Australian population of course but….

    “I could have sworn that Julia Gillard was the ‘target’ of abusive sexism. Now I’m told that SHE ‘played the gender card’. Gee, I got that all twisted! I’m losing my marbles! Its really poor Tony who’s been persecuted. He must feel so bad with all the media against him!”

  37. Apparently any call to account for discrimination is called “playing a card” be it gender, racist or gay. That is the typical behaviour of the controlling status quo, and it is certainly on display in this country encouraged by the party that were formerly called the Opposition and their propaganda arm who were formerly known as journalists.

    Just as our first female Prime Minister gladdened the hearts and raised the hopes of women everywhere, she was equally the target of our blokey society. On one side she had women’s groups talking to her about the many aspects of gender inequality that need addressing such as wage equity, the issues that affect female workforce participation such as childcare, and productivity such as education and disability care, and health and safety such as domestic violence…… while on the other she had people calling her deliberately barren, and Bob Brown’s bitch, and a witch, and a fag hag, and fat, and a lying ranga.

    What Julia Gillard endured as Prime Minister is the most obvious public undeniable justification for the need for us to do far better in the way we regard and treat women, and others suffering disadvantage and discrimination in our society.

    And to top it all off….we now have Tony Abbott as the Minister for Women’s Issues and Julie Bishop as the only woman in Cabinet.

    Oh and let’s not forget the lovely Michaelia Cash, “Assisting Minister for Immigration and Border Protection as well as the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Woman” (gotta love that new name plate 😉 ) who showed us how caring and welcoming she is with her Shakespearian performance in Senate after Julia Gillard was replaced as leader. And of course, Bronwyn Bishop, whose persistence in abusing points of order saw her regularly censured and often removed from Parliament, is now our Speaker controlling the rules of the debate. See – they are women, and Tony is also related to lots of women, so no problem there.

    Tony Abbott has heightened xenophobia, homophobia, and misogyny/sexism. Julia Gillard should be awarded a Purple Heart for being hurt in the line of duty trying to protect her nation from destructive elements. Instead we crucified her as our Pompous Pilot washes his hands.

  38. The Liarbrils “Newspeak” has elevated itself to the heights of Stalinist revisionism. Black is white, up is down and good is bad. And their “Aspirational Bogan” supporters have switched off believing the pap they’re being fed about this allegedly cool, calm, collected methodical rabble.
    The underlying viciousness of this lot is never far from the surface. What they are going to visit on this country doesn’t bear thinking about.

  39. Kaye Lee. Don’t wish to be pedantic but your spelling needs attention….

    I’m sure you meant: Pompous PILOUT; not PILOT!

    Pi – an irrational number; Lout – an uncouth and aggressive man or boy.

  40. Abbott said that the new Parliament would “discusses the issues, rather than abuses individuals”. The first I have heard from him today included the words ‘electricity Bill’ in describing the leader of the opposition. Clearly, the improvement in behaviour in the house will come from the opposition benches – what a pleasant change.

  41. Abbott is not worthy of Australia’s Parliament House, he is definitely a FASCIST and should not be mistaken for anything else, same goes for his cabinet. You can tell by the expression on his face when he NOW calls for a RESPECTFULL TONE in the House. He SHOULD APOLOGISE to PEOPLE OF AUSTRALIA and RESIGN IMEDIATELLY. he is a PHONEY PM!!!!

  42. Great to read the good writing and responses.

    My feeling about projection is that people use to over burden others. Now I am not too sure if much of it is conscious, or just a bad habit. Like it was done to me way back number, so I am going to get in first and dump all my ugly stuff out there before anyone can do it to me.. That seems to be the agenda, and it keeps people on top of their game…whatever their awful game is. Often it’s quite confusing. It is definitely dumping of their toxic crap out there. Abbott and many of the LNC do it all there time. Pass the buck is another way to describe it. Scapegoating is another method, and a medieval one too. The LNC are a tribal group of bullies. I cannot even bear looking at this new govt. It’s kind of making me quite ill. Even the GG looked rather haunted having to speak about the govt. in glowing terms…or was it glowing? ot pinning them down.

    Abbott’s popularity is down sharply. Morgan poll has two parties at 50-50.Business confidence has dived, and it is only Day 1 of the new govt. We have the lady in Indonesia getting very irrate with Abbott and Co. being pushy. As per usual he is upsetting the women.

  43. I am fascinated and pleased by the level of debate here.I did not rate the behaviour of Abbott and co worthy of such a high analysis. I just thought of him as an odious mean person who was being used by greater powers knowing that his ego and ambitions would make him compliant. However, I can go along with contributors with a greater knowledge of human behaviour than I. Gaslighting, projection, both fit. But what terms do they have for the behaviour of a great number of otherwise decent people who joined in the terrible treatment of Julia Gillard? Kaye Lee addresses some of it. Whatever term the behavioural scientists come up with, we must never allow such disgusting behaviour to happen again. We have three years to redeem ourselves, let’s not waste it.

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