OK, well I guess you’ve all heard the news by now. Cory Bernardi is being seconded to the United Nations for three months. Apparently this is a regular thing. Well, not Cory going to New York, but a government and opposition member going to the UN to work with people over there. Given Bernardi’s comments about the UN being an organisation that we should just ignore, it seems rather queer that he is quite happy to go there. Perhaps, he’s heard about what a great place New York is, and hopes to get some shopping in. I don’t know.
Anyway, let’s forget that this is the strangest appointment since Tim Wilson was happy to be made a commissioner for a commission he argued should be abolished. There’s another fundamental point to be made. Some are saying that this is proof that Turnbull intends to hold a July election, but they’re wrong.
Bernardi’s departure date hasn’t been confirmed, so I’d say that it’s more certain that the poll will be called within a week of him leaving, and he’ll be gone for the election. Of course, just because he’s not in the country doesn’t prevent him from saying something that reduces Turnbull’s election chances, but I guess Turnbull’s hoping that once out of the country, Cory won’t keep up to date with current events in Australia. That seems reasonable given that Bernardi hasn’t kept abreast of current events since the 1950s.
Anyway, Turnbull has enough problems now that Tony Abbott has decided to govern from the backbench. Tony’s recent pronouncement on the Safe Schools program as being social engineering showed the sort of leadership that typified Abbott. OK, one could point out that the program began in 2014 while he was PM so if he’s going to criticise it, then surely he’s the one who should take the blame for the fact that it’s programs like this that have made certain people feel as though they’re just as good as the rest of us. And by certain people, I don’t just mean the gay community… I mean all those people who don’t think Tony Abbott is the best PM we’ve ever had, because clearly Abbott supporters are the only ones whose opinion means anything. Anyway, it was Labor’s idea to make schools safe and did I mention that we stopped the votes…er, boats?
Tony was also at it in the party room … That’s the Liberal Party room, btw, just in case you’re worried that any more tables got shattered. He was lecturing them on how the government needed to find ways to stop the waste, because simply deciding not to dance on tabletops was hardly going to cover anything, and while Jamie Briggs promise not to tackle any more ex-PMs was welcome, it wouldn’t be enough to stop our Medicare bills being more than the government could afford. Basically, I think Abbott’s plan with Medicare was that, while the government needed to continue to take the Medicare levy, sick people should pay for their own health care and the levy was really only there to cover the costs of collecting the levy!
But Turnbull showed us all that he was still a man of compassion with his tears during the Stan Grant interview. While some have unkindly suggested that when one is crying, it’s normal to wipe the tears away after they’ve left one’s eyes, rather than stick your fingers right into your eyes as Turnbull did, I feel that he was sincere in his attempts to cry and that any suggestions it was just a stunt are a little harsh. I’m sure that if Malcolm wanted to cry, he’d only have to think of the people he leads and he’d have no problem shedding a tear or two … OK, when I say “leads”, I’m being slightly sarcastic …
Anyway, if that didn’t make him a little weepy, I’m sure the opinion polls could get him there!
more like his train fare went up 30 cents . true colours are showing now , how fake was that . nearly took the award off Dutton .. unreal
“It seems rather queer” – I love your turn of phrase, Rossleigh.
Does Turnbull really understand what’s wrong with his leadership?
Yesterday in response to Abbott’s
suggestionorder from the back room on economic management, Turnbull’s response was that his government was continuing Abbott’s great economic plan.Yet again, as he’s done all along since taking over as PM and promising a different government, Turnbull follows Abbott and proves to be a nothing more than a more articulate Abbott, but even in this Turnbull’s articulation has been faltering, stuttering and failing lately, as was shown by his rabid cockeyed attack on Labor’s negative gearing policy.
Any day now I expect Turnbull to show up on a beach in red budgie smugglers.
Why on earth would you reward someone in your party who you have had to censure on many occasions for his intemperate language.
And just to add to the incongruity, yesterday was Zero Discrimination Day.
“Zero Discrimination Day is an opportunity to join together against discrimination and celebrate everyone’s right to live a full and productive life with dignity.
1 March 2016 – The United Nations agency leading the world’s HIV/AIDS response today called on the international community to celebrate individuality, as it observed Zero Discrimination Day, stressing that embracing diversity brings valuable benefits to all societies around the world.
The theme of this year’s Day is ‘Stand Out,’ and encourages everyone to stand for fair and just societies. People are being urged to value and embrace diversity and recognize the diverse set of talents and skills that each person brings – talents that enrich society and strengthen communities.
“On Zero Discrimination Day, stand out and stand together for the right to live free from stigma and discrimination,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). “By celebrating diversity, we can transform the future,” he added.”
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=53340#.VtYR6_l97IV
And on that day, we announce we are sending to them the man who thinks marriage equality will lead to bestiality and that the children of same sex couples or single parent families will end up promiscuous/in jail/addicted, the man who thinks Muslims are destroying our way of life, the man who thinks women should have no control over their own bodies. What a cruel joke Malcolm.
It is! As are all forms of ‘education’. Education is all about allowing participants to escape the limitations of their own backgrounds, including ‘ignorance; ‘biases’, ‘prejudices’ and the like.
Can’t imagine an ‘education’ that leaves people just the way they were. In the words of Freire.
“Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world”
But then again Freire like Abbott was a Catholic.
Interesting thar Cory will be out of town leading up to the election? It’s amazing how every Liberal can be bribed, with something, in this case an allexpensive paid holiday for 3 months while the election is being run so that there is one less voice of discontent in Australia, who could spoil things for the LNP. Will Malcolm now appoint Tone as ambassador to Ireland? They are as cunning as shit house rats.
The appointment doesn’t start till September. Cory may well still be around for the campaign but is less likely to throw a spanner in the works with a bribe like this to look forward to. George Christensen will still be here and he can be even worse than Cory.
The ONLY reason Turnbull would send this regressive, bible thumping, sanctimonious hypocrite off to the USA is because Bernardi is one of the most despised, scorned and embarrassing liabilities (among a cabinet OVERFLOWING with despised, scorned embarrassing liabilities). Turnbull is under the delusion that if this repulsive and singularly offensive excuse for a human being is OUT OF SIGHT, he may prove to be OUT OF MIND as well … WRONG! No one can EVER forget just how loathsome these truly awful hypocrites are that seem to be coming out of the LNP woodwork like rats emanating from a sinking ship. Insufferably obnoxious people like: Eric Abetz, Kevin Andrews, Michaela Cash, Warren Truss, George Brandis, Mathias Cormann, Christopher Pyne – the choice of vile, ignominious bible thumping sociopaths in the ranks of the LNP is in over-supply! Fancy linking this Neanderthal to the UN ..mind you, when you notice that this organisation also has the demonic Saudi Arabia in membership DESPITE their long, long history of barbaric misogyny and terrifying track record of human rights breaches, it looks like the UN seems to be allowing any nauseating riff raff to join their ranks lately!
Kaye Lee.
Are you referring to Skullface Bernardi?
That turd doesn’t deserve the honour of using it’s first name.
Tony Abbott is going to do to Turnbull ,,what Paul Keating did to Hewson he is gonna do him slowly ,
It certainly does seem that Abbott is hell bent on bringing Turnbull down, even at the cost of his own party. I’m all for it. The more of this crap that goes on the more Labor looks like a better option. It’s kind of ironic, yes, but more power to Tony’s arm for mine …
Abbott is not in the business of bringing Turnbull down. After all he promised that there:
But he also promised :
Anyone see some connections? Personally I think that Tony Abbott is completely misunderstood. The use of the word ‘promise’ in the context of what he won’t do is best ‘understood’ as what he intends to do.
Turnbull understands. He’s a smart man.
He needs a DD and soon. Abbott is on the move.
My cynical side suggests that the LNP learnt well from the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd years.
In some ways it is a good thing. The ALP actually seem to have finally rid themselves of the outward displays of internal politics and are presenting a (mostly) unified and coherent message. Abbott will not rest until he has another go at leader (and I suspect if Turnbull loses the top job, he’d do the same thing). It’s mutually assured destruction until someone with a lot of clout in the LNP gets both of them to leave.