Barnaby Has Problem Maintaining Election OR People Who Live In Glass Houses Should Buy Curtains.
When Julie Bishop suggested that Labor should back off Barnaby she used the phrase “glass houses”. Personally, I’ve always thought that the saying, “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones’ was a little silly. I mean, if you live in a brick or wooden house, does that make it ok?
While I understand that Bishop was attempting to suggest that there was an unwritten rule that politicians don’t delve into each other’s private life, her timing does raise some interesting questions. So let’s just re-cap the past few days events:
- The media show a photo of a pregnant woman, Vikki Campion. Her pregancy someone is thought to be proof about a rumour concerning our Deputy PM. While I’m not sure how the mere fact that she’d pregnant proves said rumour, it allows everybody to acknolwedge what everybody – except Malcolm – has known for a long time. I mean, she wasn’t wearing a T-shirt saying, “Barnaby is the Dad”. However, the story is now in the public domain.
- Labor announce that they don’t intend to delve into Barnaby’s sex life because that’s both something that they find distasteful to discuss, as well as being something they find even more distasteful to think about.
- Questions start to be raised about the circumstances surrounding Ms. Campion’s changes in employment. From working for Mr Joyce, she moved to Matt Canavan’s office. When that was no longer possible, she moved to Damian Drum’s office as media adviser on $190,000 a year. Mr Drum clearly needed a media adviser because until this week he hadn’t appeared in the media since he was coach of Fremantle. I think we can all say that it’s thanks to Ms Campion that he is now appearing in the media with such frequency, although it’s unclear whether it was her advice that he’d be better to say as little as possible.
- Mr Turnbull says that he knows nothing – which is a first. He clarifies this by asserting that, unlike everyone else in Canberra, he was unaware that Ms. Campion was in a relationship with Mr Joyce and that, even if she was, he’s married so she’s not his partner because the ministerial guidelines only preclude partners and at the time of her appointment, she and Barnaby were not living rent-free in the house of a “mate”‘; Barnaby was a family man with Christian values that were being offended by the idea that people of the same sex could marry. To be clear, it’s only when you’re on Centrelink benefits that someone becomes your “partner” as soon as they spend one night at your place. In the case of politicians, it’s only when you’re wife runs over your clothes with a lawn mower that your status changes. If this were not so, Tony Abbott could have been considered the partner of all those AFP boys he was staying with on those cold, Canberra nights.
- Ms Bishop suggests that Labor shouldn’t be pursuing any of this, because people who live in glass houses, etc. This was a concept that she strangely ignored when the Liberals were targetting Sam Dastyari over links to Chinese businessmen. Apparently, it’s corrupt to have Chinese businessmen pay a bill for you, but it’s ok for them to donate to the Liberal Party. And it’s also ok, to have an Australian businessman give you rent-free accomodation.
- Scott Morrison does interview on 7:30 and seems to be smirking for the first part of the interview. Not sure why. Perhaps, he’s seen a beautiful set of numbers.
Now, Ms Bishop’s “glass houses” comments raises a few questions. Is she saying that even though the PM was blissfully ignorant of the Joyce rumours, the Liberals know all about Labor’s dirty secrets? If they’re relevant to Labor’s ability to govern, shouldn’t she reveal them anyway? If they’re not, what would be the motivation to reveal them apart from nastiness. I mean, Labor didn’t break the story – It was one of Rupert’s papers. Shouldn’t she be revealing secrets about Murdoch journalists if she wanted to punish those responsible?
Whatever, it’ll be interesting to see how Barnaby stands up as Acting PM, as well as watching Turnbull flash his forced smile and tell us all that everything is just fine and could you direct your questions to someone else, because he’s not commenting while he’s out of the country.
Breaking news: As I’m writing, Barnaby Joyce has confirmed his relationship with a “former staffer” but assures us that they were not together when she worked in his office. Phew! That’s a relief.
Ok, hopefully we can put this whole issue to bed – if you’ll pardon the expression – and get on with talking about jobs and growth again. Because jobs and growth are important. Why isn’t that the reason that Adani weren’t cautioned over their failure to disclose the CEO’s links to a company convicted over an environmental disaster in South Africa. Ok, it was found they “may” have been negligent, but hey aren’t jobs and growth a more important than a little bit of negligence here and there?
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Jon Chesterson
Return to home pageI am so fed up with the PM maintaining he knew naaarthing! I have seen more than one article saying that Bill Shorten of all people warned the PM in an email in 2016 that the gossip was becoming an issue, and an emailed reply was quoted. Yet the PM says now he first heard about it in December 2017! His nose just keeps growing longer and longer.
PM Turdball was advised of the Joke Campion relationship in April 2017 by Di Hallam, Chief of Staff for Barnyard. She then departed the Joke office for Chester and Infrastructure. Now she has Joke again … well Auntie Gina wants a share of the NAIF $1 BILLION NAIF government gift for a railway as well as the GVK Hancock coal from the Galilee Basin.
The Armidale Express reports today that “Holla” Marshall, the NSW Minister for Good Times and sometime representative of the Notional Party in Northern Tablelands, is being touted as the likely replacement. That appears possible due to the absence any other local LGBTIQ aspirant having a sufficiently large public profile, or more likely another out-of-town candidate parachuted in to ensure that New England remains an economically undeveloped rural squattocracy for the benefit of only 4% of the population
I think Jewellery Bishop herself is one of those people living in a glass house.
It’s another veiled but hollow threat and I’m sure she doesn’t want to open up another series of attacks like the citizenship fiasco.
In the end, everybody loses – but then again perhaps it’s time the whole thing was torn down so it can be rebuilt properly to look after the interests of the voters before looking after itself.
Aren’t these guys magnificent, I mean this has more drama then even the worst soap opera.
You’ve got the clusterfluck clown who cannot keep it in his pants, the paragon of hypocrisy, completely annihilating the central tenants of his faith and marriage vows.
Whilst this is all happening – there was no partner because there was undeniably not just one job, but two, and on BIG $$. To quote Joyce’s comment from question time yesterday – he was rooting for Anthony Albanese – literally it seems, now that’s what I call dedication in support of an adversary!
And our venerable leader – he knows nothing, finger on the pulse, that man, he has not!
Barnaby might have a problem with an election but it sure seems that he has no problem maintaining an ERECTION
And well you may say “Ok, hopefully we can put this whole issue to bed – if you’ll pardon the expression”, Ross; but another image will always appear when we are told in future that “everything is on the table.”
NEC, you are worth your weight in gold.
This is a hilarious bit of satire –
https://www.captiongenerator.com/896332/Baaarnaby-Joyce#.WoEVeUU-vCw.twitter
You need to turn on the English subtitles (second icon on the right).
I honestly thought “Second Hand Leads To Minutes From The Cabinet” was the best title you ever had, other than the one I conferred upon you, if you’ll pardon the arrogance. There was a Guardian resume on the return of the minutes to the ‘second’s’.
“Hundreds of pages of cabinet documents, some of them marked secret, others with an even more restricted circulation, are handed over to the ABC. It’s the kind of information journalists can normally only dream about, a cornucopia of documents dealing with high level national security and an insight into the internal workings of government over six administrations. But what emerges from this treasure trove of 1,500 documents? A few interesting, but mainly rather ordinary stories.”
And the crowd went “Hmmmm”. A journalist is given unrestricted access to information otherwise considered ‘privileged’ or ‘confidential’ or ‘Straylian eyes only’, and says “Yeh, Nah, have it back.” Buried at the top of the article was this gem.
“It’s the role of a journalist to uncover the deception and misrepresentations, and what greater gift could you have than a filing cabinet full of classified government documents?”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/10/can-abc-be-trusted-to-hold-the-government-to-account
It was shortly after that that the media, the journalists, came down hard on the side of the government. “We will decide what is worth reporting and the manner in which it is reported.”
Bananas. A fool of immense proportion, guided by his delusions of adequacy. Then you come up with this title.
“Barnaby Has Problem Maintaining Election OR People Who Live In Glass Houses Should Buy Curtains.”
Now, to be fair, if you were going for the Asian difficulty in pronouncing ‘l’, you should have said in the second part ‘People who live in glass houses shouldn’t carry fuel and matches’. From today’s Guardian live feed;
“AAP has handily done up that timeline you have all been crowing for:
BARNABY JOYCE AND VIKKI CAMPION TIMELINE
2016
May – Vikki Campion assists Barnaby Joyce’s election campaign as media adviser, having previously worked with NSW government ministers and News Corp
August – Campion joins Joyce’s staff. She splits with fiance John Bergin, three months before they were due to wed. Friendship develops between Joyce and Campion
December – Chief of staff Di Hallam reportedly seeks Joyce’s approval to have Campion transferred out of office. Hallam later quits to take up departmental role
2017
February – Campion is photographed in a Sydney bar with Joyce
April – Barnaby’s wife Natalie reportedly confronts Campion in Tamworth. Campion goes to minister Matt Canavan’s office as adviser. Natalie and Barnaby seek to make marriage work
May – At NSW Nationals conference in Broken Hill colleagues describe Joyce as “a mess”
June – Natalie and Barnaby show up together at Canberra press gallery midwinter ball
July – Campion leaves Canavan office after he quits frontbench over citizenship. She temporarily goes back to Joyce’s office
August – Campion moves to Damian Drum’s office in a social media adviser position specially created for her. He already has a media adviser. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is reportedly reassured by Joyce the relationship with Campion is over. Drum says he was told the same thing. Former Joyce chief of staff Di Hallam takes up a senior position with the Inland Rail project
September – Natalie reportedly asks family friend and Catholic priest Father Frank Brennan to counsel Joyce. Campion is seen managing Joyce media events at federal Nationals conference in Canberra
October – Campion reportedly takes stress leave. Writ issued for New England byelection after Joyce quits over dual citizenship
November – Natalie holidays in Bali with a daughter. Man in a pub in Inverell angers Joyce during election campaign by reportedly saying: “Say hello to your mistress”
December – Joyce wins byelection. Joyce tells parliament during same-sex marriage debate he is separated. Campion’s redundancy package is approved. They move into an Armidale property provided rent-free by businessman Greg Maguire
2018
January – Joyce and Campion holiday in north Queensland and NSW north coast
February – Joyce tells reporters Campion is now his partner. But denies she was his partner when she worked in Canavan’s office
Mid-April – Joyce-Campion baby is due
(Source: Based on media reports and official statements.)”
I’m not real bright but, if she is due in April, she likely fell pregnant in July. Presumably, by August, when she and/or Bananas were assuring all and sundry that ‘it was over’, at least one of them knew something was cooking. Both Drum and Turnbull accepted the word of a ‘politician’ without question. Check out the survey’s about trusting politicians. Somewhere between 12 & 20% of us trust politicians.
My bad. The penny has finally dropped. It’s only politicians who trust politicians. Yeh, Nah, that doesn’t add up.
Got it. It’s only politicians and journalists who trust each other. Therefore, somewhere between 12-20% of our population, in surveyable format, regard themselves as journalists or politicians. Oh goody, let’s talk about imbeciles a bit more.
It is great that the government has imploded, brought down by imbeciles and cheered on by sycophants.
Out here in the real world we have real problems. Can we start talking about them? Yeh, Nah.
Thankyou Mr Brisbane and commenters. Take care
Kronomex, it is a gift that keeps giving.
Kyran, confirms my suspicion that the “Waffle in the Locked Filing Cabinets” antic was only ever a complex gimmick to retrieve credibility for the ABC with support at a distance from the government.
I see they just sacked Ginny Steins, as fine a broadsheet correspondent as this country has produced, but found money for Laura Tangle.
Joyce is a big part of the reason this country is pretty buggered at the moment,his whole life is ruled by his penis and his 20 schooners a day,his arrogance and born to rule attitude and his corrupt persona…. that combination is a recipe for disaster,and now it’s all coming back to bite him on the proverbial!
In case you missed it, Barnaby explained that he didn’t breach ministerial guidelines because Campion wasn’t his partner when she worked for him, she wasn’t his partner when she moved to Canavan’s office and Damian Drum isn’t a minister…
Which sort of begs the question: Why does someone who’s not a minister need a media adviser on $190,000 a year?
Rossleigh, As I understand it, when Vikki arrived he then had two (2) media advisers.
I suppose the ALP is collecting Drum’s Media Releases – which will make for fascinating reading. Must admit I’ve never read a Media Release from a Whip and I can’t imagine what he would have to say.
No wonder the employment level is rising under the coalition.
Surely the most relevant glass houses hypocrisy from Julie Bishop, Malcolm Turnbull, Barnaby Joyce and the LNP- Coalition is their treatment of Julia Gillard. It was okay to snipe at her private life and she wasn’t even having an affair, and Labor are guilty also. Now both sides of the house are crying foul. Seems to me it only applies when it is convenient, an ulterior motive or when it is about someone else or another party. Hypocrisy, hypocrisy, hypocrisy sic.