One unanswered question
There is a question Tony Abbott has never answered. Perhaps he has never been asked. I cannot find any record of an answer.
It goes back to the aftermath of the 2010 election. You might consider that ancient history, not worth going into now, but it goes to the nature of the man — and this is relevant to his turbulent federal government.
The 2010 election was brought on early after the sudden replacement of Labor leader Kevin Rudd with Julia Gillard. The election was a tie so Abbott and Gillard had to negotiate with three Independents in an attempt to form a minority government.
Abbott lost those negotiations, despite or possibly because of some outrageous promises or offers he made to the Independents. Asked about his failure, he said he felt some of the people he was negotiating with had already made up their minds.
Gillard was able to form a minority government (one that depends on the continued support of Independents). From that moment, Abbott referred to her government as “illegitimate” because it needed this Independent support to govern. This ignores the fact that his Liberal party could not govern without the support of the National party, which in Opposition and in government forms the Liberal National Party coalition.
Now, the unanswered question is: Why would your government not be illegitimate if you had won the support of Independents and depended on their continued support to govern?
Why would Abbott’s position be any different to Gillard’s? To my knowledge, no one has asked him. That raises another question: Why has no one asked?
The situation highlights Abbott’s remarkable hypocrisy and goes to his attitude and therefore his nature.
In the years that followed the September 2010 election Abbott fought tooth and nail to bring down the Labor government. He described the Labor government as illegitimate and he twisted what Gillard said about her determination to price carbon pollution by referring to the carbon price as the “toxic carbon tax”.
Because Abbott lost the negotiations with the Independents, negotiations with minorities became anathema to him. He swore if he formed a future government there would be no negotiations with minorities to get legislation through the parliament.
The links provided above, and the daily news reports, show that the government Abbott formed in September 2013, with a large majority, has experienced constant difficulty in getting its legislation through both houses of parliament — despite, and sometimes only with, negotiations with Independents and minority parties.
This article was originally published on The Sniper.
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Return to home pageYes !!!!!
The answer lies in the ineptitude and the “follower” attitude of our “media”. So somnabulent in their reporting, they are happy to write what they are told rather than pursue the truth. Liars like Abbott are well versed in directing the media to their way of thinking. That’s also why Joe keeps changing feet and Dutton and Bishop have recently blabbed almost truths before being redirected to the “partyline”.
Abbott doesn’t know how to negotiate – it’s not in his nature. His method is the that of the pugilist, punching away at his opponents until they relent.
It is precisely the reason why he was incapable of forming government back in 2010, because he wasn’t prepared to give an inch – everyone else should have to sacrifice to meet his demands. The independents knew it and that it would be impossible to work with someone so mono-directional, they elected to back Gillard – and we should be bloody thankful they did.
It is also the same reason why he continues to have such trouble running a government, he isn’t prepared to negotiate at all because he believe it is a sign of weakness.
He bullies and he lies and he stomps his feet like a petulant child. Hell, he even has the speaker doing half his work for him, a compliant media that refuses to scrutinise or criticise his obvious ineptitude, and an opposition leader who is as weak as piss. Yet still he has enormous trouble dealing with the senate because if his intransigence and inability to negotiate.
Compare this to Gillard who as leader of a tenuous minority government and faced with Abbott the intractable attack-dog, always sniping and mauling and unwilling to give an inch – her government managed to pass over 500 pieces of legislation.
Besides dismantling the good works done by the previous government, how many pieces of legislation has Abbott’s lot passed?
Barry, that very question was pondered a million times on social media but somehow the mainstream media didn’t pick it up. Funny, that.
Mrabbott drove the media questions for gillard by simple slogans and disunity. gillard let the tax lie go because she could not get the ‘labor’ men on the morning shows to use price in early 2013 the labor slogan carbon PRICE was used but only briefly because tax is easier to say. gillard could have forced the coalition’s hand for them to explain their system which IS A TAX but she chose to take the punches and lost. little billy is following her no touching technique.
The media will chase and destroy abbott for ratings but if labor lets the greens drive the questions it will not mean a DLP hatchet but labor will join the don chipp experience.
Sadly not one of my conservative ex-students and friends who fear labor and voted for the libs or nat are worried by ‘bribes’ the how $30000 was delivered may get a lingering laugh The twit is open to ridicule and scott may be.
Why has no-one asked ?
Because the damned media are useless bastards, that’s why.
[Caption: A reasonable depiction of Tony Abbott’s arrogance and self-righteous attitude]
Looks like he’d just taken a hard uppercut under the jaw and albeit that this a hypocritical comment – I wish it was my hand delivering the uppercut. At least a broken jaw might shut him up for a while.
While waiting in a Dr surgery,i picked up a copy of the gospel according to Murdoch,and was gob smacked not to see one tiny sentence ,About Abott being accused of paying people smugglers, this is how they dumb australians down ,starve them of information, thank god we have social media it really shows the media up for what they are
MURDOCH LACKIES pitiful isnt it
One of Abbott’s middle names is Hypocricy!! Well well who is paying who and who is not paying??, It appears Abbott’s view of absolute power with him at the top of the tree reveal a demented mind at work. Now that Abbott has wrestled the top job he is now setting about wedging all and sundry, friend and foe in order to secure his sinicure. Not satisfied with his pursuit of labor for every imaginable wrong, right and rort, Abbott has now set a new low of wedging his own cabinet as he attempts to wedge Labor so that he can get the polls going his way. The West Australian today details the planning, mindset and modus operandi of Abbott as his office directs the Lying Nasty Pricks MP’s on the necessary language, lines and imagery to be deployed to prove that Labor under Shorten are not good enough. Well Abbott’s ship of State is leaking as Abbott deludes himself that he is a contemporary Napoleon or some such egomaniacal despot from the past histories of the World. The circumstance is becoming clear that Abbott masquerading as PM believes that he is above the normal laws. The imagery of Abbott and his rabble is of Abbott rogering the cat as his cabinet holds the cats tail with his backbench looking on cheering this particularly nasty act of animal violence and general Bastardry that has become a daily occurrence as Abbott trashes Australia.
Wow, I write some rubbish.especially at midnight after bridge.
Barry, The ‘I would sell my a… to be PM’ showed his plan would be another election when these CONSERVATIVE men wanted a new approach.
Negotiation requires listening, understanding and the ability to compromise. Clearly abbutt has shown, he has none of these qualities, so there was no question.
Windsor and Oakeschott knew this man as a religious automaton unable to challenge any of his beliefs or even listen to contrary ideas. The man was inept and amoral and could not be trusted.
His 3 years as opposition leader masked any work by gillard, oakeschott, windsor and many federal politicians and ensured no support for any measure of political reform
It was so sad watching:
the constant negativity of this indoctrinated, vicious, driven man fixed in the era where sexism, racism and ‘I am right’ was the Australian xenophobic citizen being supported by like minded autocue-readers on all TV ‘political news’ shows
the media frenzy:
to find labor identities including former pollies like richo, former ministers, like fitzgibbon, plus the lemon and a myriad of liberal and national party ‘greats’ prepared to denigrate gillard and fuel the sourness of the lemon and his frightened whining little boys..
The lies against her abounded in all media perhaps embodied in the extremes of pickering and the shock jocks to whom, with a paltry few fade in and out of labor women and the silent support of shorten, she showed her strength. Strength she repeated in the parliament and the media.
Unfortunately, she and labor made concerted effort at retaliation, leaving the morning shows to abbutt. Their reticence in exposing/ or attacking or mocking the abbutt character flaws and gaffes took any chance of her and the independents getting publicity for their political success. With the result of leaving the electorate believing oakeschott and windsor were ‘bribed’ by promises for their electorate and gillard did nothing but borrow us into a debt crisis like ‘greece’.(as so often said on sunrise by hockey with the smarmy pompous ‘I agree with joe’ words of the lemon ringing even now in my ears.
After a life time I am so disallusioned by labor that I believe gillard owes the lemon nothing and despite this I wish she had not agreed and like the despicable abbutt I will avoid watching her payback show because I can’t bear the thought I might lose the enormous respect I have for our first female PM, our first athiest PM. our first, bum is too big PM, our first pm who had the choice to be BARREN. our first PM with a less than flattering haircut and a frumpy ’80s tapestry print jacket.
With the exception of one pure lawyer greedy action, she was good bloody and for me the best since the war.
Yes, I’ve thought and said exactly the same thing Barry. Surely he wouldn’t lie or go back on his word to get what he wants? Remember none of the Independents would have a bar of him because he’s such a sleaze bag. Abbott hypocrisy be thy name.
A very apt choice of single image of Abbott – in your article Barry Tucker. … a great article too.
“the government Abbott formed in September 2013, with a large majority,” ….
he formed this government with the help of parties that ‘popped up from nowhere’ which gave the LNP all their preferences. … Frankly, highly suspicious, was this state of affairs. …. It was no white-wash, despite what might be claimed.
………….
@ kerr … ref : ” So somnabulent in their reporting, they are happy to write what they are told rather than pursue the truth. ” …
There is reporting, and there is journalism. … And never the twain do meet ( these days ). … Reporters report what they are told to report by their editors or big wig overseers, so the pursuit of actual TRUTH is so far down the list of aims, it ain’t funny. … Shock value is their main aim, and always will be. … Some of the ‘reporting’ I have seen has been so incredibly bad, including the incorrect use of the English language, it is quite staggering. …. Emotive adjectives abound – all to catch the veiwer / reader / listener – and thereby increase ratings. …. THAT is the main drive of reporting in this day and age. …. And incumbent governments rely on it – hang on, and rely on, every word.
Journalists, true journos’ that is, interview, write and report in an unbiased manner. … they are not shock jocks of the tv screens, radio or on paper. … They deliver a story as told, with proper writing and editing ( of their own notes and/or recorded interviews ), and the more thorough they are, the more reliable their journalistic endeavours will be. …. After interviewing, a journalist MUST relate a story told, truthfully, or else face castigation – or perhaps legal repercussions. … Reporters don’t come under that form of scrutiny.
Reporters are a dime a dozen – and behave like it.
………..
It’s long past time, we turned our collective backs, on Abbott and his government. …. Give him NOTHING.