Tony Abbott: Begging For His Job: Round 1
Something truly remarkable is happening in Australian Politics. Unprecedented in my memory. An Australian Prime Minister is being given the chance to transform from bastard to saint. Or somewhere in-between.
Even after 40% of his colleagues have declared him unfit (and there were probably many more including 6 ministers) to lead our nation. Even in the face of polls that overwhelming reflect the public’s opinion of our leader.
Even after the media and his closest right wing supporters have condemned him. Even though he leads a dysfunctional and chaotic government.
They still think he is the best person for the highest office in our nation. Even after all the lies, his trust deficit, his support for inequality, his arrogance, inflexibility and hypocrisy, his governance for those who have, his inability to understand technology and science and an incapacity to understand women’s needs and sexual equality.
The captain’s calls, back flips, and his monarchist allegiance. His negativity, thuggish demeanor and his contempt for the conventions of parliament. Add to that his inability to adapt to the demands of office which stem from the fact that he is fundamentally a creature of the past. Yes, they still think he has all the characteristics of leadership.
If he is to transform himself who are we likely to end up with?
Leigh Sales on the 7.30 Program put it this way:
“We’ve had the Tony Abbott in opposition, the guy who promised no more chaos, the adults back in charge, the ‘no excuses and no broken promises’,” Ms Sales said.
“Then there’s the Tony Abbott we’ve had so far in government with the surprise policies and broken promises and the captain’s picks.
“Now you’re offering us a third Tony Abbott – one who’s going to change. Who are you?”
As David Marr puts it:
“The prime minister’s problem is not the captain’s picks, not his failure to consult, nor the micromanagement of the cabinet by his office. He just failed to grow”.
In his 20 years of parliamentary service he has been a politician of the past believing his duty is to save us from the future.
No Opposition Leader in Australian Political history has made a greater contribution to the decline in public discourse, the lowering of parliamentary standards and the abuse of our democracy than Tony Abbott.
No Prime Minister in Australian Political history has made a greater contribution to the decline in public discourse, the lowering of parliamentary standards and the abuse of our democracy than Tony Abbott.
Yet his party believes he can convert a lifetime of thuggish negativity into motivational, inspirational leadership. A Prime Minister in whom the people can trust. He deserves the chance they say. We owe it to him.
The conundrum of course for the LNP is that they don’t want to be portrayed like Labor who had little hesitation in dumping leaders but at the same time know they cannot win the next election with Abbott.
When the spill motion was defeated, what followed was an avalanche of contrived support spewed from the mouths of ministers and hangers on that could only be described as nauseating in its insincerity.
Everyone knows that the Abbott brand is dead. In all my years of political ears dropping, never have I seen such a cavalcade of fallaciousness from politicians who could only be described as silly enough to believe their own bullshit. Watching this line up of Abbott apologists was not only excruciatingly painful but seriously saddening. Do these idiots, I asked myself, really believe that I accept as true, the crap they are emitting?
Showing an exterior of suitable chastisement Tony Abbott announced that “Good Government starts today”. One was apt to wonder why it didn’t start when he said that the adults were in charge.
Then in Parliament the same day, when a no confidence motion was moved he immediately went to negative mode in a speech that amounted to nothing more than repetitive old Tony. Transformed Tony was nowhere to be seen. His near death experience seemed not to have registered. Perhaps he was blinded by the white light.
Later on The 7.30 Report the old Tony was still fighting like an Opposition Leader.
I beat Gillard, I beat Rudd and I will beat Shorten he said, missing the point that Australian’s are after a leader, not a pugilist.
It was as Malcolm Farr said on the Insiders program on Sunday:
“He can’t understand why people aren’t grateful”.
He, his Treasurer and his Ministers have never been able to admit that the budget was unfair. On the same program Mathias Coremann said that:
“no Minister had complained that the budget was unfair”.
He must have been lying because Malcolm Turnbull, the alternative leader that 50% of the party want as leader said this:
“it is vitally important, both as a matter of social justice and political reality, that structural changes are seen as being fair across the board”.
“That means not only must tough decisions be justified, but that the burden of adjustment is not borne disproportionately by one part of the community.”
An alcoholic cannot address his problem until he admits he has one. The Government cannot possibly govern for the common good until there is some kind of ministerial acknowledgement that indeed the budget was unfair.
The pugilist might have won round one, just, but the fight for Liberal leadership is far from over. He might have dodged a left hook but the Liberals remain deeply divided. They are all over the place with policy and a treasurer who seems incapable in the job. Pressure has mounted on Abbott to appease the back bench. It is demanding that Hockey and Credlin go.
Brand Abbott is dead. This is why.
For most of my working life I worked in marketing and advertising so I know how people are influenced, persuaded or swayed by such things as branding and repetitive advertising or recurring bullshit.
Companies spend millions of dollars to subtly brainwash you. To align you with a certain brand or product. They will use all manner of persuasive techniques including sex and deceptive packaging to solicit your good will and loyalty. They even measure the eye blink rate of women from hidden cameras in supermarkets to test colour reaction. Yes it’s that sophisticated. And brand loyalty is what they want. There are more psychologists employed in advertising in America than in the health industry. It is all calculated to take power over your decision-making.
Likewise, political parties want your loyalty, or at least they want to convince you that they are working in your best interests. They use the same repetitive techniques.
If you tell a lie often enough people will believe you. The Abbott government stating that asylum seekers are “illegal” and “she told a lie”, or that families received $550 dollars as a result of the removal of the carbon tax are but three examples.
The Abbott Government has taken persuasion to another level employing 37 communication and social media specialists to monitor social media and offer strategic communications advice costing taxpayers almost $4.3 million a year. In addition Peter Dutton’s departments employ more than 95 communications staff and spin doctors, costing at least $8million a year. In Dutton’s case it is about protecting a slogan. Nothing else.
That’s a lot of people to sell the brand, spin lies, omissions, monitoring social media and telling deliberate falsities. It’s about creating or promoting perceptions (rather than realities) about your political brand as opposed to that of your competitor. There are a number of ingredients in “successful” political branding. The product needs a positive image, and a leader with character who is surrounded by positive motivated people.
A fair dose of charisma is helpful but not entirely essential. What is essential is a well thought out narrative that the electorate can relate too and policies that are explainable. Even if they involve some pain. It doesn’t require popularism so long as it has credibility. John Howard was never popular but he had the perception of creditability.
Unfortunately the Abbott government and its ministers are nothing more than a compliment to mediocrity and intellectual barrenness. The brand has its genesis in contemptuous negativity and has failed to apply a label to any policy.
Its front bench is full of colorless dour depressive uninspiring types who will be intent on implementing a second budget of political expediency rather that economic necessity whilst the current one will remain an unfinished work in progress.
The collective personalities of Abbott (a self-confessed and proven liar and a PM for undoing), Pyne (arguably the most hated politician in Australia). Brandis (an Attorney General who believes bigotry is fine), Abetz (needs a personality transplant) Hockey (a serial blamer of everyone else), Joyce (potentially our next deputy PM, OMG). Dutton (cannot shake off his copper image), Hunt (no credibility on Climate Change after writing a thesis supporting a tax), Morrison (the un-Christian Christian. Don’t say I said that. It’s a secret.), Robb (still wanting Joe’s job), Truss (soon to retire) and Cormann (can’t throw off the accent), all of which reads like a list of appointments from a psychiatrist who specialises in personality disorders.
In terms of image the Abbott government comes across as, indignant angry men with chips on their shoulders. Make that logs. Haters of science and progressive policies. And some like Bernardi downright extreme.
In Abbott’s case you have to wonder if Australia has ever elected a Prime Minister so ignorant of technology, the environment and science. So oblivious of the needs of women and so out of touch with a modern pluralist society.
In the latest polling the Labor Party leads the LNP by 14 percentage points.
More alarming though is the Prime Minister’s popularity. Or more accurately his lack of it. And 63% of people think he is doing a terrible job.
The best public relations company in Australia couldn’t do much with the individual images of that lot.
“Australian political history is filled with the incompetence of unexceptional conservative men with born to rule mentalities”.
It’s hard to promote a political brand that blames everyone else, lies continuously, won’t listen to advice, is secretive, won’t compromise and is full of its own self-importance. Never in Australian political history has a budget been so motivated by ideology.
The result has been a public backlash of monumental proportions which is reflected in the polls. So blind is Abbott to his own shortcomings as a leader that he cannot see how badly he and his cabinet are governing. Even the right wing media, Murdoch publications and the shock jocks have deserted him. Social Media is leading the criticism. With the young in particular seeming to hate the Abbott brand with a vengeance.
Former Conservative UK Environment Minister Lord Deben put it succinctly:
“I think the Australian Government must be one of the most ignorant governments I’ve ever seen in the sense, right across the board, on immigration or about anything else, they’re totality unwilling to listen to science or logic”.
Like what we do at The AIMN?
You’ll like it even more knowing that your donation will help us to keep up the good fight.
Chuck in a few bucks and see just how far it goes!
Your contribution to help with the running costs of this site will be gratefully accepted.
You can donate through PayPal via the button below, or donate via bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969
57 comments
Login here Register here-
Peter F -
Pamela Curr (@pamelacurr) -
Galley Boy -
Marian Saines -
Carol Taylor -
roaminruin -
AndrewL -
labyrinth1205 -
Julia -
DanDark -
Jennifer Meyer-Smith -
John Fraser -
Sad sack -
Jennifer Meyer-Smith -
CMMC -
Owen Snelten -
Blanik -
DanDark -
Rosemary (@RosemaryJ36) -
Poss -
Kerri -
DanDark -
Phi -
DanDark -
Ricardo29 -
Lee -
Paul Raymond Scahill -
DanDark -
Wayne Turner -
Wally -
Aortic -
Michael Taylor -
stephentardrew -
virtualnonsense -
Michael Brooke -
mars08 -
Michael Taylor -
John Lord -
Michael Taylor -
Jennifer Meyer-Smith -
John Lord -
gangey1959 -
Annie B -
marg pearson -
Florence nee Fedup -
Florence nee Fedup -
Michael Taylor -
Florence nee Fedup -
Bacchus -
Florence nee Fedup -
Rob031 -
Annie B -
Chris Noel -
RPC -
Florence nee Fedup -
abbienoiraude -
Paul Raymond Scahill
Return to home pageIt is now so sad and dangerous that I cannot laugh any more. This country is in the hands of irresponsible louts.
Everything we most feared from a bad government is coming to pass.
Everything we most loved in this country is being destroyed.
Fiddling while Australia burns morally economically and socially
Thank you John Lord. That this great Australian tragedy continues unabated is is precisely why I despair.
This is a BRILLIANT article. no-one else has said it all so well!
John, wonderful job in summarising the (sad) situation. The whole promise of I’ll do better reminds me so much of kinder, gentler – a promise which lasted approximately..gauge it in hours or minutes? Almost immediately Abbott came out swinging..find the culprits, find the traitors. The latter term used in the Murdoch media I find disturbing..is Abbott our Dictator For Life, he’s certainly acting like it.
That captures it nicely. Abbott in particular – Captain Negative, the vision-free zone whose only strategy is to keep harping back to Labor, even after 16 months in government. He wont change. He can’t change. His arse is ours!
John Lord, you reflect my opinion precisely. Your article could do with a proof-read though but appreciate that it is up there in good time.
The only good thing about keeping Dumdums in is that the complete destruction of the LNP front bench will be even more assured down the road and this is something I am grateful of.
“Australian political history is filled with the incompetence of unexceptional conservative men with born to rule mentalities.”
That’s a beautifully crisp quote. It may be my brain before coffee, but I couldn’t see a source. Who said that, John Lord?
This is a very well written article expressing some very important points. But please proof read it a few more times before you submit it! Repeating the same statement twice and missing out the occasional word makes you resemble the people you are condemning.
Great article John 🙂
I share your anger, dismay, frustration that this LNP Government is recklessly, or worse, intentionally bringing Australia and us Australians to our knees.
However, I also harbour the defiant never-say-die spirit and a belief that our sleeping Aussie neighbours are waking up to the ridiculous, embarrassing image that Rabid and his LNP Degenerates has inflicted upon us. This is all good because as they wake up, they begin to see what they don’t want to happen and then we can bring them along with us in turning this reprehensible government back into the wilderness for a very long time.
Even better, we have exciting progressive events unfolding in Greece and if the Syriza party can show left progressive policies work and can turn around previous austerity measures, then that will be the golden beacon to us in Australia to encourage ALL our electorates that innovative, progressive, diverse and inclusive policy planning and implementation will work for the common good.
<
Abbott's a pig.
How typical is the media seeking to profit from their attacks on the amoral rabbott they spawned into the job of Prime Minister? How sad are the editors to turn on the man who ‘never skites’, who believes the praise of his sycophants, listens to the flatterers who seek personal benefits and fawns over anyone he considers powerful.
How silly are the pollies who continue to support the man whose ability to ignore his own faults, to promise anything for short term political gain and to avoid any consequences of lying is legion, when there are so many other options.
The man who supports vultures schemes to minimise tax and commits us to copper downloads?
The man who gets his pay through a company to avoid the Medicare levy?
The man who inspired an incredulous Nobel laureate to say ‘why would you change a system that works into the American system that doesn’t?’
What about the man who admires the current leadership team of the rabbott and Julie Gillard.
Perhaps the CLP ladies could suggest another option(s)? But for me the hair to the left, make overs from full to whispy and the hair to the right, all dressed in white, still doesn’t change a token.
Yes Sad sack,
if I wasn’t a law-abiding, respectful citizen, I would wonder if rabid Abbott and his LNP Degenerates were begging us to eliminate them once and for all because they are worn out and bereft of any more energy to even pretend they know what they’re doing.
Maybe he is punch-drunk from boxing. Remember that long, vacant paralysis he displayed during that Mark Riley interview.
He just shuffles along and says whatever the speaker in the earpiece says.
I still don’t trust liars .. …..the 61 should have read the polls …..
Yes, but apart from all that, he did give us $550 a year and reduce the price of fuel.
And John Fraser, that is very unfair to pigs!
The thing about trust is we put our trust in something or someone, and when they betray us, we then blame them, with the we trusted you stuff, you said we could trust you, so now you have broken that trust it’s all your fault, because we trusted you, you told us we could trust you, it’s a vicious cycle to get into,
but in most cases they have to betray you, or they are betraying their ownselves and beliefs,
hence Bring in Tony and Co and their hidden agenda before election, to keep their promises now is to betray their own beliefs or ideoligal thinking and backers
Who we really should be trusting is ourselves always in any situation, and when the supposed ” trust”
is broken, you can walk way with dignity and not bitterness and angry and wanting to blame,
because they betrayed you
Anyone who puts trust in someone else has to take responsibility too, it’s not a one sided affair at all 🙂
Trust needs to redefined it takes two……
Abbott has no vision but he is being manipulated by a team who want Australia to follow the American Tea Party route.
He has no conscience because Catholics do not need one – their sins are all forgiven at weekly confession so their conscience never has time to fully develop.
Reading the following I wonder – how did Abbott qualify?
” Rhodes’ legacy specified four standards by which applicants were to be judged:
Literary and scholastic attainments;
Energy to use one’s talents to the fullest, as exemplified by fondness for and success in sports;
Truth, courage, devotion to duty, sympathy for and protection of the weak, kindliness, unselfishness and fellowship;
Moral force of character and instincts to lead, and to take an interest in one’s fellow beings.”
If he originally met these criteria, as sure as eggs is eggs he has changed a whole heap!
Yep this just about sums up this vile government
When 63% of the population don’t want him as PM and 61 out of 101 of his LNP ministers and backbenchers say he should stay it is not simply a case of HE is out of touch! They clearly haven’t a clue and clearly don’t give a damn!
As for Sussan Ley practising semantics, “let’s not call it a co-payment let’s call it a value signal”, polishing the turd as a good little LNP woman is bound to do, there’s is yet another wasted seat!
Do you think in 6 months, knowing he is loathed, he can change the electoral laws and we will see the beginning of a dictatorship?? Thank goodness he has daughters (poor examples of citizens and more born to rule I am entitled leaners though they appear to be) if there was a Tony Abbott Un or Tony Abbott Il we could be in for eternal damnation?
How long can this gov sustain these open attacks in the media tic toc tic toc
Time is one thing you cannot buy
Tones is about to learn this valuable lesson in life, you can bribe for time, but you cannot buy time…
http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-10/maccallum-call-this-professional-politics-then-give-me-amateurs/6081868
Great article. Describing the cabinet ministers thus: ” all of which reads like a list of appointments from a psychiatrist who specialises in personality disorders.” is so graphic – it fits like a glove.
To those of the 132 communication and social media specialists likely to be monitoring this independant media site – I say this:
“Your “strategic communications advice” is worse than worthless, it is undermining our democracy. It truly grotesque that your corpulent ‘team of propagandists’ is costing taxpayers almost $12.3 million a year !!!!.
Phi, I have got this to say to them
” you will all be out of a job very very soon enjoy it whilst it lasts, because all good things come to an end”
Not just the young on Social media, I am 69. Yet another good article for the media monitors to froth over, then the comments. However I went to a story on ABC’s The Drum, and reading the comments was a bit surprised that Abbott and the Govt. still have some very mouthy , if misguided, supporters and still pushing their lefty ABC line despite its proven outdatedness (such a word?).
“The conundrum of course for the LNP is that they don’t want to be portrayed like Labor who had little hesitation in dumping leaders but at the same time know they cannot win the next election with Abbott.”
I am thoroughly enjoying watching the LNP eat shit.
I did type out a reply before however my computer appears to have a “virus” as it was whisked away. Anyhow, what I wanted to say was that I had viewed QandA a little earlier and could not help but hear the monotonous voice of Alan Jones. However my complaint was more with Chris Bowen and his lack of commitment, not unlike Bill Shorten, Twice the budget was brought up, what Labor had left behind in debt/deficit and disaster that the L.N.P did not know about, obviously the same people bought our tunnels, because they also cannot read budgets or signs. But Chris Bowen did not respond to. either (blabermouth) Jones, or the P.Ms. parrot, Jamie (I do not tell lies) Briggs. How was it possible for the ABC to agree to that pairing. What a farce.
I am thoroughly enjoying watch Tones Titanic sink tooooo
But I had to pick up the phone and be proactive today and let her know, they may have won the battle, but they ain’t won the war
I thought question time had finished so flicked it back over to abc24
And just got the end of Tanya’s question to the vile miss J Bishop
About how she had to be escorted by Robb overseas
Well I am so glad I did, because I just couldn’t help myself and rang Bishops office and said
” I am watching question time and her government is so yesterday”
that’s all I got out before the dude hung up but that’s all I wanted to say 🙂
The look on her face was priceless, you could see the knives flying out of those eyes of hers
towards Tanya, oh JB how scary you are……Not….but because she knew it was the truth, the old back to Labor she went, oh it’s like watching a fish gasping for breath thats been taken out of its fish bowl world….
Abbott is,and has always been a lying,delusional,and dangerous moron.
The party room leak of him saying: “If we focus on Labor we will win the next federal election”. Says it all – What about focusing on the country and policies.Instead of him and his mob focusing on what will be LIES,FEAR & SWEAR attacks on Labor.
RE: Alan Jones on Q & A. The fact he was a guest on that,is pathetic,it shows how terrible and how the MSM has no standards.After he incited violence towards a sitting PM (against Gillard),he should have been snubbed by the MSM.Instead the pathetic ABC gives him a guest spot,it’s the same reward they gave them Graham Morris when he did a similar thing.Our MSM has no standards,no decency and are unprofessional.
The logic behind keeping Abbott as PM is flawed, it means that to change leaders the party must lose an election.
No Minister has complained because they are all on hundreds of thousands per annum.
Wally, they might change their minds after a few more bad polls.
Great article John.
Clear and precise and I thoroughly agree with you.
I just bash my head against the wall at the ignoramuses and their complete ignorance of science.
Obliviousness and hostility is easer than effort and application to facts.
They actually choose stupidity over intelligence.
The mind boggles.
Cormann: “no Minister had complained that the budget was unfair”.
Is there anything we can do as constituents to make the Ministers aware of the unfairness of the Budget, so they can, in turn, make Cormann aware of the unfairness. Seriously, if they’re playing silly games of “well, I didn’t know that” and “I’m not aware of that” nonsense, then we can play too – and bloody MAKE them aware of the unfairness. Multiple emails to the sitting members everyday?
A bit hysterical, John
Yet… the polls still indicate that about 40% of voters support this govt. How bad does it have to get????
Mars08, from what I understand, the bulk of those 40% are in the over 65 age group. No wonder Hockey looks forward to people living to 150.
Why do you say that Michael.
It was in one of the poll results, John.
If the bulk of the 40% are in the over 65 age group, the LNP should be worried They will not live to 150 yet, so their voting time is limited maybe to 3-5 more federal elections.
In the meantime, may the LNP be mindful of their responsibilities to their loyal supporters and the rest of us, who expect higher standards and goals for the betterment of our community.
Sorry Michael I was referring to Michael Brooke’s comment that my piece was hysterical.
I had an award winning comment earlier, but something went screwy with the site, so you will all just have to put up with this one.
Sorry.
All last week we heard of nothing except spill motions. To spill or not to spill, that was the question. Expert opinion was that they would not.
Monday morning came and went, and goddam it, Tony Abbott was still our Prime Minister. Damn experts.
Not only that, but he had the support of everyone. Well, most of us anyway. Ok, a few people, who weren’t quite ready to admit publicly that they didn’t want him after all. The footage of TA and his posse storming down the corridors of power was almost comic. They could have been skipping. Mathias Cormann was nearly doing handsprings. Of course, the absence of the two possible alternatives to mr abbott spoke volumes more than anything that their words could have ever expressed.
Our illustrious leader then got his freshly unchallenged visage in front of the cameras to once again state to the Nation that he had learned, he was a new man, Government starts today, etc etc crap crap crap…
So. 17 months after he took over the reins of power, Australia’s Prime Minister finally decided that he had better stop pissing around and do something. Good for him. It was the Monday after “Back to work Tuesday” after all.
Adendum: In honour of “Whacky Wednesday” in Canberra, just to prove that they are not completely useless, abbott & co changed a few of the foreign ownership rules today. After all, we wouldn’t want any of those foreign devils Price Phillip is so worried about moving into Point Piper or Toorak without getting the nod from those whose opinion really matters.
Great article again John.
Can’t add anything, that hasn’t already been said here …. in some good comments too.
I did see this however “If you tell a lie often enough people will believe you.” – – and have seen that said so often here, and elsewhere.
I disagree with that statement … A lie is a lie – it cannot be anything else, and if a listener has a firm and unshakable conviction ( and some proof is handy also ) … that s/he is listening to complete untruths, then nothing can or should shake that. … the worst that can happen is for the listener to turn his / her back and walk away. … the worst that is for the liar.
“Every violation of truth is not only a sort of suicide in the liar,
but is a stab at the health of human society. – – – Emerson.”
Just saying ………
Great article John. Unbelievable that it has come to this isn’t it. Think they will be voted out for many years to come. Bring on the elections. The damage they are inflicting in so many ways is going to take a long time to repair.
Seems to have found his terrorist event to divert from his own frailties. No matter that at this stage, no facts to be had. No waiting to see police allegations tested. Has not even been before the court yet.
Michael, belonging to that over 65 group, as a full pensioner, I can find no reason to support Abbott. Then at the same time, I could never see why they idolised Howard. Self funded retiree yes, but not pensioners.
The only PM that they benefitted under, was Gillard.
Florence, it was nothing personal. Polling shows that the government has strong support in the over 65s.
I know Michael. that was what I was pointing out. Cannot understand why. Better off, self funded retirees, yes. They benefit most from Howard, and now Abbott’s upper class welfare. Once again, the full pensioner is paying the price.
Annie B, try “Interest rates will always be lower under a Liberal government”, “Liberals are better economic managers”, Joe Hockey’s “debt crisis”, Labor’s $667 billion debt. All of these lies are repeated ad nauseam, becoming ‘truisms’ especially amongst those who don’t take too much interest in politics.
Joseph Goebbels
When those unemployment figures come out, there is a more important figure to look for. Not the number employed, but the number of hours worked. Some employment number are holding. Sound s good, until one looks at whether they are full or part time jobs. It appears, number of hours worked over all has been trending seriously down.
“Down periscope: Abbott torpedoes himself “ from Nikki Savva in The Australian.
My favourite paragraph is “They didn’t have long to wait. It came awash with delicious ironies. At the weekend Abbott made promises about submarine contracts to secure votes. Election over, there was conjecture over what he had actually promised or if it could be delivered. The man carrying the can was his most trusted ally: Defence Minister Kevin Andrews, who has boobed or bombed in every portfolio he has held. Down periscope; torpedo one jams in tube.” 🙂
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/down-periscope-abbott-torpedoes-himself/story-fnahw9xv-1227216468664
Bacchus …
I take your points – to a degree. … On the subject of interest rates ( for example ) … the highest interest rates recorded for Australia was during the Malcolm Fraser Liberal Government. This was continued – but lowering gradually – over the next two Labor Governments of Hawke and Keating. (They shot up alarmingly during Hawkes reign for a while and then again began to decline ) …. so the rubbish spewed by Liberal ( or whoever ) about interest rates ‘ALWAYS being lower under a Liberal Government’ is rubbish. …
Not saying you are talking rubbish – just that lies are being told about that also.
………
There has been a history of good and bad fiscal management over many decades – – Hockey’s alleged management however, takes the cake. …. As for Joe’s Debt Crisis – a huge raspberry to that one. … It’s ( partly ) another diversion back to Labor and how it’s all their fault – which is supposed to exonerate ( in the Governments mind ) …. Hockey’s complete incompetence. P f f f t.
………
It is so typical and expected of a brutal Nazi to have made that statement … which is being followed almost to the letter, by this dastardly Government.
But people are not fools … ( some are, but most are not ). … A danger IMHO, is if it becomes so commonplace and banal to hear these dumb-down tactics, they become like water off a ducks’ back, and the listeners can become de-sensitised to it all. … therefore, appear to accept it all as the truth or at best, a truism. …. until it all starts to hit the hip pocket, ways of life, sense of security !!!! – – then survival kicks in, with realistic thinking, observation, memory and healthy suspicion ( except for the ultra die-hard Libs ).
So far the polls show that the populace is NOT swallowing any of the bullshit. …. Abbott leaps from a smarmy plea to people one day, and turns around and becomes the real bully Abbott, the next.
Leigh Sales questioned which of the 3 personas, ( currently on display ) was the real Abbott ? He skirted the question – the norm. for politicians in any tight corner, but ya know what ? …. I doubt that HE actually knows who he is, or what he ultimately stands for. … Money of course, but that’s a given. The rest ????
A very dangerous man at the helm.
Jo
John your description of the Abbott leadership group is spot on – all “angry” middle aged or older. They are the like the bully style teachers of my youth in the 50’s and 60’s who delighted in inflicting pain, would brook no argument, discussion or defence and were truly righteous.
Interesting the cost of Abbott hanging on to the job could be around 8 -15 billion – possible extra cost to build our subs here. Leaving aside the merits of what to do about subs – this shows the complete lack of depth Abbott has about his principles – fiscal discipline out the window if his job is threatened .
I wonder what Abbott we are seeing in play now. Seems to be a new one. One that has given up any pretence of listening to anyone.
Florence:
It was PM Rudd who raised single aged pension rate to the highest % rate in Aust history.
Great piece John. Have to say we over 60 seem to be motivated to march discuss and compare. Don’t know who they are polling re ‘over 65’s’ but I have to think self funded people might support LNP but we on full aged DSP Carers are holding our breaths at what Morrison might come up with.
John my computer went funny, would very much appreciate a copy of your blog (thathas received so many replies) My address is P.R. Scahill, 22 Sharyn Ct.. Point Vernon. Qld. 4655. Alternatively, another copy by A.I.M.N. Thanking you.