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John Alexander Once Had Pride But Then He Joined The Liberal Party!

Ok, I guess you’ve all heard about John Alexander’s election night speech where he recalled telling a doctor who suggested that he’d be eligible for a disabled sticker that he still he had “pride”.

Some people seemed to think that this could be regarded as being slightly insensitive, so Mr Alexander offered that wonderful apology that we’ve come to expect from people who are so lacking in empathy that they don’t immediately realise what’s wrong with what they’ve said: “If anybody’s been offended I apologise.”

The trouble with an apology like that is that it seems to suggest that there’s the possiblity that people haven’t been offended. This always strikes me as strange because invariably the person making the so-called apology is only doing so because a large number of people have been expressing their offence. I mean, it’d make no sense to say, “If you were upset that I crashed into your front fence and knocked it over, then I’m sorry.” Clearly some people are offended, so the subtext when you add the “if” makes it sound more like: “I understand some humourless bastards are complaining so I’d better pretend that I’m sorry so you get off my back and I don’t have to listen to your whining any more.”

Having made such a fulsome apology, Mr Alexander went on to channel Donald Trump by telling us that “no-one has done more for people with disabilities than I have.”

I think he should have added, “If anybody’ thinks that they have, I apologise.”

Anyway, Malcolm Turnbull told us that he’d apologised so that should be the end of the matter. Mm, I wonder why he isn’t so magnanimous when Labor or Green politicians make an apology. Anyway, Mr Turnbull thought people were being “mischievous” in the way they interpreted the joke. According to Malcolm, all JA was trying to convey was that it would have been inappropriate for him as a former tennis champion to have accepted a disability permit. He wasn’t clear as to why this should be. Does Malcolm have a problem with para-Olympians accepting permits?

However, it’s been a great couple of weeks for Mr Turnbull. He’s managed to get marriage equality through the Parliament. I know that he hasn’t mentioned this much himself because he’s too modest, but it was a really great achievement the way he kept stopping the legislation being put to Parliament until after the postal survey. As well as that, there was only a five percent swing against Alexander in Bennelong. And Labor played it pretty hard. As John Alexander, their celebrity tennis playing MP complained, they put up a celebrity ex-politician against him which was terribly unfair.

Whatever, Mr Alexander told his fans that the election was a “renaissance” of Malcolm’s leadership which I find strange because the Renaissance occurred during the fourteenth century and even Tony Abbott was only trying to take us back to the 1950s. All right, I’m being mischievous like those people who thought that JA’s remarks were offensive. Of course he meant that it was going through a revival. Mm, that’s not confusing too. Is the tennis champion who’s done more for people with disabilities than anyone suggesting that Mr Turnbull’s leadership had hit a bit of a flat spot?

I thought things were going swimmingly. The economy is growing faster than it was when it wasn’t growing at all, and nobody is worried about government debt any more. They’ve moved those men on Manus from one place to another place and nobody seems to notice that they don’t have a long-term solution because the US isn’t going to take more than a handful. His Deputy PM is back in the House, even if he’s admitted that he’s no longer in his own house. So why this talk of a “renaissance”?

It’s almost like he thinks that the PM was in trouble.

 

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21 comments

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  1. James

    Well apparently we’ve got it all wrong, and the Liberal cockroaches are the saviour of us all…I give up

  2. Bob Parker

    Cockroaches aren’t that bad.

  3. Freethinker

    I can see the propaganda in the next 90 days before calling an election: Interest the lowest in history and will stay low, unemployment down, real estate prices are going down, the boom stopped thanks to policies in place, security of the country high and income taxes come down for the middle class, the economy is in the hands of the only party that can manage it, etc, etc.
    Soon we will be able to see if the electorate will vote with the back pocket or with their brain.

  4. bobrafto

    “The doctor at the time said, ‘You have eligibility for a disabled sticker’. I said, ‘I still have some pride,'” Mr Alexander said. “That was before I entered politics.”

    What I believed he tried to convey was that he lost his pride when he became a pollie and a LNP pollie to boot.

  5. Kronomex

    One seat ahead for Trembles is NOT A MAJORITY no matter what the main sleaze media says. It’s a barely hanging on to a cliff edge by one finger that could be lifted to drop him and the rest of the LNP thugs into the abyss of their own making. “Renaissance”? What a complete and utter load of bullshit. “New Dark Ages” would be a better term.

  6. John O'Callaghan

    Looks like Australia may retain the Ashes at the WACA….. that’s right,i dont want to mention those bloody ….. at the moment…… too depressing!!

  7. Alpo

    The Waffler from Wentworth believes that he is riding a wave of very good luck right now…. hence he may call a Federal election sooner than later in 2018…. before the alleged wave of good luck recedes…..

    We are waiting for him and his flotilla on the shore… with our vote-gun battery ready!

  8. Glenn Barry

    The one thing that amazes me about Trembles, he has lusted after the position of PM for such a very long time, even paid $1.75 Million for the position – yet he is so effing awful at the job – for all of his claims of success in business the man is such an utter failure as a human being

  9. Jan

    Yes indeed Glenn. And he has become such a bitch.

  10. Ross Cornwill

    I am disabled and I take offence at his statement. Waffles can say what he likes. Pricks

  11. Jaquix

    Alexander made another gaffe at a Liberal gathering, soon after the victory speech I would think. Captured on video by some brave soul, shows him sounding off a lot of garbled stuff about being a “son of a foreign power” and obviously really angry at S.44 and foreign powers and then polished it off nicely by saying “And to the toffs in the High Court you are out of touch with reality!” Let that sink in folks. No wonder Turnbull barely left his side, and didnt let him speak, during the campaign. I actually wonder if perhaps Alexander is in the early stages of dementia, would explain the puzzled look he has in between “speeches” and “jokes” and the rather weird and/or inappropriate nature of them. I think Turnbull knows. If my guess is wrong, Bennelong have got a fool for a representative.

  12. Jaquix

    The new Senator Jordon tweeted to say he was offended by Alexander’s “joke” about disabled stickers. I tweeted him back suggesting he invite John Alexander to come and have a cup of tea in his office, and send a wheelchair to his, for him to use to get there. See how he found being in a wheelchair, in a parliament building quite ill equipped for disabled people, including the lavish use of carpet.

  13. Vixstar

    What is more scary is the formula the liberals use to gain an advantage and the media and all the idiots follow them like sheep.

    It started with verbally abusing Julia Gillard about her family , her partner, her fathers death and everyone lapped it up so they thought this method works and has tried it every time they are loosing their grip on the electorate. Poor Sam was crucified while the dirty liberals rubbed their hands with glee.

    We are talking about people who are loved and cherished by their family and children watching this happen to their role model must be devastating. It’s time we take a stand and ask them to respect everyone and treat Australians with the respect we deserve. I am profoundly deaf and reading what this politician said was disgusting I agree with Kurt and Graeme everyone that is disabled are awesome just to cope with all the disadvantages to make there lives mean something is inspirational. We don’t need politicians that have no manners or respect .

    This liberal party scares the life out of me they destroy peoples lives to gain brownie points in the political arena no policies just lies and deceit.

  14. townsvilleblog

    Pride plays no part in disability, if he was temporarily disabled and did not take the provisions available to him it speaks more to his lack of judgement and foolishness than it does about his pride.

  15. townsvilleblog

    Just for the record I am a disabled pensioner, who is disabled in several ways, and I do use the parking sticker, as walking is very difficult for me. I would see this blokes refusal to use the parking provisions as his jolly who is their right mind would choose to walk long distances when disabled? As with most of the uttering of tory politicians his statement does not add up.

  16. townsvilleblog

    Vixstar, this is why some writers refer to people as sheeple.

  17. townsvilleblog

    Cockroaches dominate our Test cricket team to the extent that players from other States rarely get a look in, does anyone remember Matt Renshaw the opening batsman from last season, never to be seen again? Cockroaches pick the team!

  18. Barry thompson.

    Well said Vixstar.

  19. Zoltan Balint

    When someone does something wrong or said something that offends and offers an apology the person that accepts the apology either takes responsibility for the wrong or devalues the offence. Alexander or anyone offending needs to explain his understanding of his offence and accept responsibility for it. Saying sorry does not work. As for Alexander joining the Liberal Party, there is nothing wrong with that. The problem is the views he has about others. But I guess if he did not have those views he would not have been selected by the Liberals to run.

  20. clarry

    There is something violent and increasingly scary about Turnbull and the LNP..

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