It has been said that one of Tony Abbott’s strengths is his conviction. In 2005, one of his Liberal colleagues summed him up this way.
“Tony Abbott is the genuine article. The conviction politician who will use his muscle to cajole, bully, smash his way through. Abbott’s ability to yell from the rooftops what he believes in is his strength.”
Genuine? Conviction? Strength? Surely you jest.
Abbott is a politician who changes his mind depending on how the wind blows as Peter van Onselen reminded us in his article “Tony Abbott’s convictions are ever changing”.
But perhaps even worse, he sets different standards for himself to those which he tries to impose on others.
When faced with a pregnant girlfriend, a 19 year old Tony decided he wasn’t ready for the responsibility of a child. He split up with his girlfriend and they put the child up for adoption.
Twenty-seven years later, the public shared in what must have been an emotional roller coaster for Abbott and all concerned when the son thought he had found his biological father only to find, after DNA testing, that it wasn’t Abbott.
As all of this played out in the press (not sure why), Tony turned into some sort of hero.
The Catholic ethicist Dr Nicholas Tonti-Filippini, said Abbott has been courageous in his handling of his personal life.
“Exactly what has Abbott done wrong here? Nothing,” says Tonti-Filippini.
“The way I see it, Abbott has lived his life according to the core beliefs he has consistently espoused. The couple had the child, but Abbott was honest enough to admit he did not want to marry Mrs Donnelly and they judged their son would be better reared in a happy family with two parents dedicated to each other.”
Hmmmm …
Thirty years ago, Tony wrote in The Bulletin:
“At university the need to defend Catholicism in a hostile environment had led me to an extremely naturalistic defence of traditional beliefs and disciplines. Abortion was wrong, because it violated instinctive respect for life; contraception, because it was usually part of a “me now” mentality. The Mass was a chance quietly to restore one’s energies; confession enabled embarrassing problems to be discussed safely before they became crippling.”
So he thought, at the time, that using contraception would be part of a selfish ‘me now’ mentality but the consequences of playing “Vatican roulette”, as Tony described it, were ‘embarrassing problems’ that could be made better by a priest’s advice?
In 2009, Tony, in a discussion on “Religion, Sex and Politics“, told us that women should not have the “right to absolutely withhold sex” and that a man’s “right to demand” sex should be “moderated.”
All this talk of demanding and withholding sex makes me wonder if Tony has ever heard of foreplay.
The following year, when leader of the Opposition, Abbott described virginity as ”the greatest gift you can give someone, the ultimate gift of giving”, but that apparently only applies to people with a hymen.
The Liberal leader fleshed out his advice on virginity, urging men to not act in ways that “demean others” but suggesting young women should not “give themselves away lightly”.
So he sees having sex with a woman as ‘demeaning’ her – an act where the woman has ‘given herself away’? Yet he was happy to ‘take’ her ‘greatest gift’ and then discard her?
Tony eventually got married on 24 September 1988. An article dated January 26, 2010 speaks of his 21 year old daughter. Had he been ‘demeaning’ Margie too?
As only Abbott could or would, he linked his reconnection to the man he thought was his son to his opposition to abortion, emphasising to the newspapers that Daniel’s first words to him were, “Thanks for having me”. Never let an opportunity for crass political exploitation pass by.
When it was Tony’s son, he recognised that the child would be “better reared in a happy family with two parents dedicated to each other”, yet he dictates to the rest of the country that some parents mustn’t be allowed to solemnise their relationship and that children are better off with their biological parents.
A Catholic Bishop, one of the organisation who advises Tony on his ‘embarrassing problems’, said children of gay couples will see themselves as another Stolen Generation.
I am wondering how he thinks victims of paedophile priests see themselves.
Speaking of the Stolen Generation, Abbott’s opinion about the Apology provides a classic example of our “conviction politician”, our oh so caring ex-Prime Minister for Indigenous Affairs.
In January 2008, Opposition indigenous affairs spokesman Tony Abbott said the apology would just reinforce a victim mentality and was a “sop to the left“.
Less than two months later, Abbott was singing a different tune that shows, again, how he shifts on the tide of populism.
“When we were in government we could decide whether an apology happened or not, but in opposition all we could decide was an attitude to an apology which was ultimately in the hands of others,” he told The Age. “My own view was if an apology was going to happen anyway why not make the most of the situation and at the very least not rain on the parade.”
And I haven’t even mentioned that ridiculous speech he gave on climate change where the evidence he gave against rising sea levels was the photos in his surf club.
Let’s face it, Abbott is one seriously screwed-up little dude.
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So, the child he thought would be better off adopted was not, in TA’s opinion, part of a ‘stolen generation’ That description only applies to others. Do as I say . . . . . .
Great article Kaye.
Yes Abbott in my humble opinion is really losing the plot, perhaps he just can’t deal with winning government and then being dropped by his party, he is seriously screwed up in the head for a bloke of his age and experience with his recent statements.
As much as Abbott irks me, a DNA test revealed that the boy had a different father. It is likely Abbott found out about that during the pregnancy, declined to marry the woman… and the rest we do know. Do we blame her for cheating on Abbott?
There’s much to criticize about Abbott – but if closets are to be opened, Bill has more than one skeleton in his.
It is beyond my comprehension how such a ‘flip-flop’ man of seasonal and convenience convictions, can hold so much sway in a party that has dumped him. Facing electoral wipeout, they threw him overboard. Now, knowing full well how electorally toxic he is, they still give him enough oxygen to bury them.
For me Abbott is a yesterday’s man; right now I’m more concerned about the one who followed him…the trickle-down man..
We have sun, wind,and gas aplenty, yet we advise the old and feeble to go to a shopping mall to cool down when the summer heat get’s too hard to bear ; do not put your air-con on…
Misery for many is not just trickling down, it’s pouring…
I still believe that Tony is the best thing the Labor party have going for them – at least the MSM give him air time and every time he opines he digs a deeper hole in which his party can fall.
Let’s have an Abbott Free Zone, stop giving this man media oxygen.
I agree with helvityni and pierre (sounds like a contradiction). Abbott is a has been. On the other hand, the more influence he has on the LNP, the bigger the chanes for a massive electoral mandate for Labor.
But he belongs to a forgotten, incompetent and dangerous species. Like Trump, only that idiot is not forgotten yet.
Don’t fall into the trap of “misunderestimating” this punch-drunk, stuttering, knuckle-dragging, bride-deserting, onion-munching buffoon, that could never attain the Opposition Leadership, that could never retain the Opposition Leadership, that could never win an election, that “could never stop the boats”. This enigma of a man has made a career of thwarting predictions.
Tony was yesterday’s man when we were at university in the 70s. Paul Keating described him as a “young fogey”. And yet he persists by virtue of having been handed an electorate where people are more concerned about their tax bill than their electricity bill.
He won the Liberal leadership in a run that Steven Bradbury would have been proud of. He won the election because Labor were too busy squabbling to promote their vastly superior policies. He didn’t stop the boats, he just redirected them, making them someone else’s problem. He has never, and will never, be a leader. He has always had an unjustifiably high opinion of himself when all he is is a self-serving opportunistic bully who is totally bereft of integrity.
When he was awarded a Rhodes scholarship, everyone was amazed as the other candidates were far better qualified. At the time, it was said Tony was a ‘second-grade footballer, third-rate academic and fourth-class politician.’ And he has only gone downhill from there.
When Abbott decided not to marry his pregnant girlfriend he got his mother to call her to cancel the wedding.
That may vaguely demonstrate some sort of personal conviction but also cowardice – typical behaviour for a bully.
The stories of his anti-women and anti-gay stance during his University days have been well documented, as well as his wall-punching intimidatory activities.
One of the main reasons he left the seminary was because he saw his friends making a lot of money in the business world and he later left his concrete company management job in pursuit of even more money. His later rorting of government allowances is well known.
He later joined his local Fire Brigade as a volunteer (he has never been a qualified firefighter) only in the hope of regaining some of the votes he was losing as an ineffective local member.
He also gave a priest (later to resign due to pedophilia accusations) a personal reference.
Now he’s just “the gift that just keeps on giving” for the Opposition.
We are very lucky they replaced Tony with Malcolm, Tony changed his mind as the wind blew but not Malcolm, he’s stuck with everything he’s said a;d everything he ever believed in, even thought it was great fun when his front bench brought a lump of coal into parliament , waving and passing it around, oh it’s exciting times for a PM. Why he’s even putting Mr. Humanity Dutton in charge of our “ Homeland Security” to protect us from our Nations greatest threat, domestic violence, what could possibly go wrong?
Tony has friends!
I saw a tweet from Alan Jones (after Abbott’s climate change talk in London) … says that Abbott was a thousand per cent correct and that he has the lefties on the run.
Worthy of a good vomit, that one.
Jagger, I am sure you are sarcastic. Otherwise I would be worried about you.
Michael Your so right about Jones. He’s getting worse that one.He’s mad.
“That may vaguely demonstrate some sort of personal conviction but also cowardice – typical behavior for a bully.”
Zathras, Abbott has always had someone else to bail him out or to cover for him. Mostly his father in the early days of his vandalism, assault, and bullying. It’s his problem, he thinks he’s untouchable and above everyone else when in fact he’s only where he is because of the others he thinks he’s superior to.
Why the others apart from his parents stick up for him is beyond me. Maybe it’s like the motivation for weaker kids who hang out with a bully.
Then again there is someone who loves Abbott.
http://static.wixstatic.com/media/29056d_fdace5e7e8d9414d93ba41ee49242a15~mv2.jpg
ME
Love the artwork.
Abbott will not continue to ride on the protection that has been afforded him in the past. “Friends of Tony” will either depart for bigotry heaven or find their support compromises their own standing.
Abbott will wind up a lonely and embittered man – however long that takes it won’t be soon enough!
It borders on incredulous that such a weighty Millstone continues to hang from Australia’s neck and so keeps the Country stuck in mired bog of Abbottnationisim
this has been the case for too many long wasted years
when will the 60 odd% of people learn to vote the best interests of Australia rather than best interests of themselves
Jack, I remember Jones going ballistic at Julia Gillard calling her Juliar and having a mental snap over her carbon tax pledge.
But when asked what he thought about Tony Abbott breaking his pledge about no cuts to education, the ABC etc, he said it was OK because people were allowed to change their minds (or something like that).
He is one ugly soul.
Tony Abbott. Truly a spiritual wastrel. It’s hard to forgive him.
Tones may have to don his fire fighting garb more often as bush fires could increase and become more deadly (California). Oh yeah, Tones rekons climate change is a good thing,,.. go figure.
(off topic – but important).
Funding for education under Gonski included a weighting for students with a disability. Schools which catered for large numbers of such students received significant additional funding. In days of yore, a medical assessment and certification was required. Not now. It’s the school that decides. And the rorts are on.
Approximatey one quarter of students in some elite, high fee schools are now labelled as ‘disabled’.
And the funds involved are in the millions.
Yes places like Scotch College now cater for students with a disability – and apparently they are in plague proportions. This is fraud on a massive scale.
More here. https://johnmenadue.com/trevor-cobbold-elite-melbourne-private-schools-to-get-big-funding-windfalls/
Thanks for putting it up here, MN, I read it earlier today on Menadue’s blog and I was enraged by the unfairness of it all….
Different strokes and all that, once more…
Abbot is just a lunatic fullstop!
I here challenge Tony Abbot to a boxing match…queensbury rules. I believe that even though I am an untrained boxer, I would knock the little cowards head off with one punch and take pleasure in doing so. Up for it Abbott?
Nothing much has changed …
Just that he’s getting progressively worse …
As is alan jones … and peter dutton … and pretty much the rest of the LieNP
MN,
Offering private enterprises government money has led to a lot of grief.
The Commonwealth Employment Service used to actually find people work without humiliating people or making them pass through the eye of a needle. The Public Works Department used to employ enough people to get things done and to keep a constantly employed pool of skilled workers. The Public Service used to be a pool of expertise and experience that helped guide politicians and employees that helped the public interact with government. We used to own our electricity and telecommunications networks and air and sea ports.
Regarding your post more specifically, my father always used to say we all pay for a public transport system – if you want a car, pay for it yourself. He went to a Catholic school and then taught briefly in the Catholic system before going to war and then in the public system for 40 years.
Adults who receive a disability pension have been under increasing scrutiny with the constant implication that they are rorting the system. No doubt a few are. Perhaps the same scrutiny should be placed on schools who have had a sudden increase in the number of disabled students for whom they are receiving funding. Allowing them to self-assess?????
Send out the school inspectors!
I’ve always been perplexed by the right’s references to the left, lefties and the like, it’s always been a non-sensical, artificial and arbitrary distinction – I think what they mean to say is “the right” – this cluster of elite, selfish, nasty, loathsome deplorables and the rest who strive live within a society, not feed upon it
I’ve always been perplexed by the right’s references to the left, lefties and the like, it’s always been a non-sensical, artificial and arbitrary distinction – I think what they mean to say is “the right” – this cluster of elite, selfish, nasty, loathsome deplorables and the rest who strive to live within a society and the world, not feed upon it
Kaye Lee, yep, yep, yep
As stated by the long headed screw loose in the neck, Frankenstein lookalike (Sky News) commentator and ex Abbott Girl Friday and no1 fridge sharing cheerleader– cum– dummy spitter
“Journalist, Journalist ,journalist -Ya just Pissin’ in the wind “.
It’s like trying to nail smoke to the wall. Any attempt to identify rational motive or behaviour in Abbott is doomed to fail because he is a classic bullshit artist. His core principle is simply to lie, lie about lying, then lie more. He is deranged, self-important and bereft of basic human compassion. Australia’s Trump! Pure LNP.