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Spare me your tears

A ‘tearful’ Scott Morrison took to the stage this morning to tell us how his daughters, his wife, and his mother are the centre of his life.

Yeah, we know. That’s how he began his election campaign – “Aren’t they fantastic How good is Mum? How good is Jenny?”

So, aside from the fact that he has female relatives, why was Scotty upset?

“I acknowledge that many Australians, especially women, believe that I have not heard them, and that greatly distresses me.”

The tears were not for the victims and survivors of sexual assault. It very much sounded like the PM is finally realising that this could hurt him electorally.

“Now is not the time for me to run over whether as a Minister for immigration or a Treasurer, or a Minister for Social Services, the keen interest I have shown in these issues, I’m not going to do that today.”

Keen interest??? So interested that you did nothing about the complaints from female colleagues about bullying and harassment during your knifing of an elected Prime Minister? So interested that your staff and colleagues made sure not to tell you about two rape allegations so you could do your Sgt Schultz act?

“I have heard that women are overlooked, talked over, by men, whether it is in board rooms, meeting rooms, rooms, media conferences, cabinets, or anywhere else. Overlooked and treated like they have nothing valuable to contribute.”

Oh you’ve only ‘heard’ about that? Did you hear it from Julie Bishop?

Recalling incidents in 2013, where she was at one point the only woman in cabinet, Ms Bishop spoke of the difficulty of getting her voice heard in a room full of 18 men.

“People would be talking and then I would intervene to say something and there would be silence, and then they’d just keep on talking,” she said. “(Then) somebody would say precisely what I’d said and all the guys would say ‘gee that’s a great idea, why don’t we do that?’ And I’d think, didn’t I say that?”

Or perhaps you heard it from Anne Ruston who you wouldn’t even let answer a question directed to her about the culture in parliament.

Phil Coorey, journalist: “As a woman in government, your reflections on the culture inside, has it got better, worse or no change since the ‘bonk ban’?”

Ruston: “Well, Phil, the only thing that I can …”

Morrison: “How this ban is referred to I think is quite dismissive of the seriousness of the issue, Phil. And I would ask the media to stop referring to it in that way. We took it very seriously, and I think constantly referring to it in that way dismisses the seriousness of this issue. It’s a very serious issue. Thanks. Anne.”

Scotty has also heard about women “being belittled, women being diminished, and women being objectified. That is not OK.”

Perhaps he heard that from Pamela Anderson when she urged him to help Julian Assange.

“I’ve had plenty of mates who’ve asked me if they can be my special envoy to sort the issue out with Pamela Anderson,” smirked Scotty.

“You trivialised and laughed about the suffering of an Australian and his family. You followed it with smutty, unnecessary comments about a woman voicing her political opinion,” Ms Anderson wrote in response.

“Rather than making lewd suggestions about me, perhaps you should instead think about what you are going to say to millions of Australians when one of their own is marched in an orange jumpsuit to Guantanamo Bay – for publishing the truth.”

Scotty kept up his caring façade until it came to questions from the media.

When asked if he had “lost control of his staff”, Morrison reverted to type, attacking the journalist who had asked the question.

“You would be aware that in your own organisation that there is a person who has had a complaint made against them for harassment of a woman,” Mr Morrison told Sky News political editor Andrew Clennell, after being asked about parliamentary culture. “That matter is being pursued by your own HR department.”

“if anyone in this room wants to offer up the standards in their own work places as comparison, I would invite you to do so. You are free to make your criticisms and to stand on that pedestal but be careful.”

Ahhh, the old ‘glass houses’ attack – just like his warnings to Labor. Dob on us and see what happens.

The problem was it seems Scotty gave details of the alleged incident on national TV without gaining the consent of the woman who had made the complaint.

So much for respecting the agency and confidentiality of the complainant, the excuse used for the disgraceful handling/coverup of the Higgins case.

Spare me your tears about how unfairly you have been treated, Scott, Linda and Christian. It’s not about you.

 

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87 comments

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  1. Brad Black

    ‘Tears of a clown’

  2. pierre wilkinson

    amazing how he has been briefed on an alleged sexual encounter in a news organisation toilet but was never apprised of the facts revolving around an alleged rape in the vicinity of his own office
    surely this time the average voter will decline to be convinced by his faux tears, his confected outrage and his total lack of any sort of a plan to curtail such misogyny

  3. andy56

    Look, there are some issues at play here that we are not seeing. The problem is the liberal ideology isnt working.
    Just think of all the policies they have introduced that affect women. Individually they are consistent with liberal ideology.
    Collectively they add up to a big stick against women. They are not prepared to see things in a wholistic way, that requires planning. Again another liberal ideological failure, they dont do planning. Making every issue an ideological battlefield has created an empathy desert.

    Liberals will always attract less highly intelligent women because liberal ideology is indefensible if you have a brain or any empathy.
    Just look at the list of women in the liberal ranks who got there on ” merit”. You can start with Mirabella and end with Cash.
    Maybe Bishop was the last great white hope, but really she had an empathy bypass a long time ago. She was happy to be one of the boys.
    They need a 70% quota to change their ideology

    Morrison has a one seat majority. Reynolds is gone, and now Porter will exit. That makes for a minority government. One that can be checked out any time. Morrison has just realised he may not have an option to delay an election and this issue is killing it.
    Crocodile tears and mouthing platitudes isnt having the required effect, the noise is getting louder.

    Again, he doesnt hold the hose and is quite prepared to let someone else worry about it. How can you go through life and not understand the basics?
    Maybe his ” protected environment” , evangelical mob has something to do with molding him..

  4. Kathryn

    OH, for GOD’S SAKE, MorriSCUM – cry me a bloody river! You are about as sincere as a starving car salesman! Puhleeeease! If you think we are going to fall for your discredited, superficial and phoney crocodile tears a SECOND time after 8 years of non-stop, increasing corruption, rorting, lies, broken promises and now your total lack of concern over the sexual rape and harassment of women in your OWN parliament, THINK AGAIN! STOP PLAYING THE VICTIM, MORRISON! You know who the victims are? Ordinary, long-suffering Australians – including the gullible idiots who voted the worst, most depraved and self-serving pack of undemocratic misogynistic elitists into power!

  5. Harry Lime

    As we comment here,the traducement of Parliament continues in Question and No Answer Time under the glorious auspices of a serial liar and a puppet Speaker. Insult to injury, all day, every day.The bubble must be at bursting point.

  6. leefe

    ” … and that greatly distresses me.”

    The only thing that distresses you, you lying, smirking, foetid, pustulent mountain of greed incorporated, is the increasing possibility of losing the position you are so unsuitable to hold.
    Words aren’t enough. Tears don’t count. DO something that helps, for a change, instead of constantly making things worse for the most vulnerable.

    Yeah, that’s wasted advice, I know.

  7. John OCallaghan

    I realise that the media is not too friendly towards the Labor party…\ understatement of the year i know\ ……. but if they cannot win the next election after almost 8 years of these criminals clowns and IQ challenged deviants then we will carry on being a one party Dictatorship run by fascists Imperial scum bags which is exactly what we have at the moment…

  8. Pete Petrass

    Well we ALL know Morriscum is just full of lies and obfuscation, and after putting so many out there, that he is now tripping over himself trying to remember them all and keep them all co-ordinated. All those Lieberal supporters in WA most certainly listened so lets all just hope the Federal supporters are doing the same thing so we can be rid of the most incompetent, corrupt and disgustingly grubby government in history.

  9. DrakeN

    The tears, like those of Porter, are for themselves living fear of loss of Parliamentary priviledges and probably the losses that they will suffer post politics at the hands of those to whom they have failed to deliver promised gains and favors.
    The loss of ‘face’ in their failure to further advance the benefits to their cronies and donors despite all the underhand dealing and devious rorting.
    There is no disgrace quite like the loss of respect of other members of the legalised mafia ‘mob’.

  10. Henry Rodrigues

    Watch for the next installment of Economic stimulus arriving in your bank account. Joshie is busy working on the antidote to Scummo;s dire straits with a unannounced surreptitious deposit in the dead of night. A few extra unsolicited dollars always works wonders with the voters. It happened 2 weeks ago with another $250 gift from Joshie. While Alan Joyce got $1.2b !!!!!
    Doesn’t anyone wonder why Scummo’s polls still show he’s more popular than sliced bread ?

    As for Scummo’s ‘tears’ , he should dab his eyes with a tissue and then wipe his arse with it. That way it will might do him some good.

  11. margcal

    In reply to: John OCallaghan …..March 23, 2021 at 4:18 pm

    The problem is, betting on the Libs from the sewer winning the next election would ‘not’ be the biggest risk I’ve taken for a very long time.
    Away from sites like this, there are so many people who ignore politics, for a whole variety of reasons. These are the people who tend to vote based on the, invariably Murdoch, headline they see when polling opens. Murdoch doesn’t have to sell papers for people to see the headlines.

  12. Kaye Lee

    News Corp have issued a statement saying Scotty is talking crap

    https://twitter.com/kloussikian/status/1374238120779018240/photo/1

    And the Telegraph published this

    “In the wake of Tuesday’s explosive press conference, which saw the Prime Minister raise the issue of a human resources matter at News Corp, the company’s Executive Chairman, Michael Miller, sent Mr Morrison a forceful text expressing his disappointment about the reference to a sensitive, private matter.

    It is understood that Mr Miller’s text strongly criticised the Prime Minister for choosing to raise a human resources allegation in the very public context of a media conference, especially as publicising such a complaint could undermine the confidence individuals have in coming forward to report allegations of misconduct and harassment without fearing that their privacy would be compromised.”

  13. Kaye Lee

    Simon Birmingham was asked what was the security breach that led to the sacking of Linda Reynold’s employee.

    “Indeed, a staff member is entitled to be admitted to an office by security officers and I would in no way suggest the security officer did anything wrong in her decision making of allowing them access to the office.

    But in relation to ministerial offices and sensitive ministerial offices.

    There’s another level of protocols that exist and going in for non-work purposes, when intoxicated out of hours, constitutes absolutely a security breach managed by the ministerial office itself, which in this case, as it resulted in the termination of that employee.”

    So if it was for going in to the office pissed and after hours, why wasn’t Brittany Higgins sacked as well?

    The more these people say, the worse it gets.

  14. Matters Not

    Simon Birmingham could clear up any misunderstanding by simply producing the written documentation issued to all employees when they commence work in each ministerial office. Should be on file.

    As for being intoxicated out of hours – one wonders what then are the designated hours of work? Can such employees therefore claim over-time?

    The hole seems to get deeper – perhaps encouraging other disgruntled (former) employees to enter stage right. Simple Simon might yet become the sacrificial lamb

  15. Michael Taylor

    Good question, MN.

    Senior public servants are on a salary, as opposed to a wage.

    One of the downfalls of the salary was that you were on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So when can one have a drink?

    Hypothetically, never. Also hypothetically, one could be slumped on his or her lounge chair at 2am drunk as a skunk and be called into work.

  16. Matters Not

    Public servants on a salary are only ever – As drunk as a lord.

    Skunks tend to associate with those who inhabit other places and eat, drink and engage in fisticuffs at The Strangers Bar. At least here in the Sunshine State.

  17. Kronomex

    He’s really starting to get desperate…mm, aniseed jelly beans…now as his act starts to fall apart and the vile, venal, vain, venomous, vengeful, and vexing (noo…I’m having a V moment) Saint Scotty of the Marketing that hides just under the surface show through for all to see. He’s terrified that his leadership is, I think, completely cactus.

    Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention that he’s, sickeningly, also beginning to portray himself as a victim. Can he go lower? Well…

  18. David Evans

    Another day, another corrupt heap of shit….Just name the day morrison, so the country can at last get rid of you, your liberal party, and the crap that has gone on for as long as you have been in “government”. The joke is over…What do you think jen?

  19. Michael Taylor

    MN, in all my years in the public service I saw more incidents of politicians rolling up drunk for work than I did public servants.

    But then again, the public service didn’t have Tony Abbott or Barnaby Joyce.

  20. RIckyBobby

    MT, even if you are a salaried APS employee, you would still have an agreed set of core work hours and days, so being called in without reasonable warning would be rare. I would expect that when parliament is sitting, or when committees are being run the staffers would be on call – but they would know that.

  21. Phil Pryor

    This Pile of Shit the P M, a pustular Moron, a Poxed Mentality, a Putrid Misfit, is incapable of real tears surely, the deluded yet blessed and saved and raised up are always confident of superiority in their fantasy world that never existed, leaving them to do what they effing well like in perverted and corrupted mentality. It is a shit way to behave, the superstitious position. But, with a wife from Darlinghurst road, a horse from the knacker’s yard and a car from John L motors, one could be KING in one’s own tiny mind. If only the nation could be relieved from the thieving, lying, distorting conservative scourge on us all, this POX of political perverts in the conservative club of cast off foreskin rebuilds.

  22. DrakeN

    Drinking to the point of incapacitation seems to be rife amongst politicians in many Governments around the world.
    Many of their staff, advisers etc. seem to be quite aware that they must remain sane and sober in order to keep the boss out of being a danger to him/herself.

  23. paul walter

    ” Newscorp have released a statement saying Scotty is talking crap”.

    Sorry, this anything but helps.

    The best we can surmise is a “pot/kettle black”.

    Since NEITHER party EVER tells ANY truth on ANY occasion, ON PRINCIPLE, from whence should we start from here as to
    our further inquiries?

    “Ohhh,
    What a tangled web we weave,
    When first we practice
    to deceive”.

    Robert Burns, Scottish poet.

  24. Michael Taylor

    Ricky, it is rare.

    The last time I can recall was during the Queensland floods almost a decade ago. Gillard called the troops into action immediately. We had people in our department who were sleeping in the office at night: working from the time they woke up until they dropped around midnight.

  25. Harry Lime

    DrakeN,apparently some of the staffers were out on the piss and missed the memo.I’m quite chuffed watching the facade of the fraud Morrison and his temple of delusion slowly sink into the stinking swamp of their own creation.I don’t know if there is a God,but she’s surely got a wicked sense of humour.
    And Phil,you made me think of a post politics career for the Liar….A holy car franchise selling exclusively for Horizon Finance and Loan.White shoes and gold bling included,all lies forgiven (see:terms and conditions.)

  26. Kerri

    When will the media learn to jump on any politician using the false equivalency defence?
    They are bad too so that makes us good?
    You know an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind.
    I once watched a mother whose youngest daughter was the same age (and friends with) my eldest daughter.
    She was dressing down her middle daughter when the eldest (late teens) interjected.
    Sharp as a whip she turned and said “Lizzy this has nothing to do with you!”
    That’s what Morrison needs. More being dismissed when he tries to change the focus away from his dubious practices. Wipe away that smirk. “This isn’t about me Prime Minister. It’s about you!”
    Hold his feet to the fire.

  27. paul walter

    The other thing, apart from the deliberate misleading of Parliament by the PM involving Gaetjens surreptitious spiking of his own inquiry, is the faux amazement from all and sundry that preppies are infantile wankers and that rent boys are brought into Parliament for the predilections even of cabinet ministers.

    But really the Marketing Man and the Clennell Web locked in a title 15 rounder for the World Fibbing championship definitely adds colour.

    Also, funny TV presenters seem to exclude the rest of us when it comes to outrage at the government, to suggest women are the only people with enough brains to be offended, is a puzzling, even divisive misjudgement as to the perceptions of the rest of us and on so many different levels

    ……

    Harry Lime also raises a relevant issue.
    When the entire population of Parliament is on a seemingly constant alcohol binge at taxpayer’s expense, when does any work get done when they are all either inebriated or hungover.

  28. Andrew J. Smith

    Crocodile tears or emoting publicly is classic borderline NPD (narcissistic personality disorder) used to deflect criticism of behaviour or lack of ethics, morals and leadership; play the victim but remain central and visible…..

  29. Lawrence Roberts

    While Scotty was peeling the remaining onions Christian had left in the butlers pantry sink, one of his minders must have reminded him that one of mining mogul Murdoch’s boys was in town. Ostensibly the offspring is here to look after the company’s promotional organ but to a sitting prime minister it can only spell trouble.

    The tears were going down well and Scotty in his tearful state chose to fend off questions from a Sky stooge believing it would be something of a Dorothy Dix but it wasn’t. In his usual belligerent bully-boy way, he instinctively countered with an accusation which turns out not to be true. Who set Scotty up with the scurrilous rumour?

    Who’s turn is it for the poisoned chalice? Are we ready for The Rt. Hon. P. Dutton yet and no more elections, ever.

  30. Margot

    The tears are fake. His attack of Andrew Clennell shows the real Morrison. He’s a nasty piece of work.

    Here’s a video of a younger, pudgy arrogant Morrison.

    Scott Morrison video of a repugnant cocky young Scott Morrison, with his puppy-fat face and insolent posture, trying to fob off being held accountable for a missing KPMG Audit Report. His superiority and contempt visible to all.

  31. Zathras

    When Morrison worked as Director of the New Zealand Office of Tourism and Sport and Managing Director of Tourism Australia his role was to simply sell a product.
    Nowadays the product he is selling is himself and his motor-mouth technique of answering questions in as lengthy a way as possible in order to limit the number of questions that can be asked is typical snake-oil salesman strategy.

    The previous “on-water matters” ploy during Operation Sovereign Borders won’t work in his new role.

    Now the “daggy dad” image of cooking curries, watching the footy and building cubby houses (with a photographer conveniently in tow) has lost it’s gloss and he’s looking more and more as a Trumpish wanna-be – all talk, little action and no ideas or direction.
    He’s either a liar or incompetent or probably both.

    Even some radio shock-jocks are turning on him but are still likely to swing back as soon as an election is called.
    Meanwhile I for one am enjoying the spectacle but unfortunately others are paying a very high price.

  32. Ill fares the land

    The absurdity is that if Bargearse Morrison had given today’s speech 3 weeks ago, he just might have fooled enough of the people enough of the time and got away with it. But that’s not what happened. He tried to implement his only strategy for dealing with a crisis – pretend he is on top of the issues in the hope that the fuss quickly dies down and this time it has failed spectacularly. When he says he is “listening to women” after weeks of ignoring and disparaging women, it deservedly failed. His latest exercise in verbal drivel and faux-empathy comes on the back of a series of instances where Bargearse has displayed his utter inability to take charge of the narrative at all on anything to do with Brittany Higgins, the Porter allegations, sexual abuse and harassment of women generally, the toxic anti-woman culture in his party, the Parliament and in our society generally. He, I suspect, knows that many now see right through his faux-empathy and are calling him out for his absurd comments (in Australia, we don’t shoot protesters – really!!) and the farcical notion that abused women would be able to access their super (good the idea is now dropped, but an extraordinary instance of failing to read the national mood when the idea was announced). That will have really rattled him and he is now so vacant, out of his depth and desperate in equal measure that he is simply incapable of composing and selling a coherent message. In one sense, it is a disgrace, but equally, it saddened me that Bargearse got away with his handling of the bushfires, so I am gratified that his ham-fisted, blundering, boof-headed male missteps on, let’s just say, “women issues”, has been sustained. He can’t show leadership, because he is not a leader. He can’t show genuine empathy, because he lacks compassion. He can’t take charge of the narrative because he has no real political skills – he utterly epitomises the Peter Principle. He was able to manipulate and scheme his way into the PM role, but has none of the skills needed to carry out that role. When his attempts at selling a manufactured image of himself fail and fail so miserably, he has nothing, although his most recent display of belligerence draws comparison with Latham – back them into a corner and the only reaction they know is to revert to thuggery and “come out swinging”. It is appalling for women and they are railing against Morrison’s failed attempts to delude them into believing that he can offer them anything, but it is good for Australia because of the electoral damage it is doing to, arguably, the worst government and the worst PM in my lifetime, if not since Federation. One can only hope that this period of sustained fragility gives Labor and Albanese the wherewithal to really start working towards winning over enough of the electorate and sustaining that advantage. Morrison has proven to be so appalling that it really should be cut-and-dried, but he was able to pretend to be a leader during Covid and that superficial exercise fooled many and it may well take more for the electorate to totally reject him. Moreover, there are many who will vote conservative regardless of how awful the “leader” of their party is.

  33. Jamess

    Time to take the trash out!

  34. Peter F

    Through all of the tears, it was interesting to note that the smirk started to break through as he tried to turn attention onto the media. Actually, when I first saw the tears I was reminded of a loser’s election night speech.

  35. New England Cocky

    @MIchael Taylor: Things are getting interesting. Bully Boy feels he is losing his dominant position in the playground and so is threatening his friends, which is a wonderful way of losing their support and friendship. The crows are circling and the carcass of Australian democracy is limping not necessarily forward.

    The policy of announcements rather than policy requires no announcement that Australian voters have seen that ”the King has no clothes”. Rather, the punsters are having a field day exposing the lies and analysing future scenarios that too frequently come to pass.

    We live in hope.

  36. Kaye Lee

    In a late night Facebook post, the prime minister said, “In the course of today’s media conference when responding to further questions I deeply regret my insensitive response to a question from a News Ltd journalist by making an anonymous reference to an incident at News Ltd that has been rejected by the company. I accept their account. I was wrong to raise it, the emotion of the moment is no excuse.

    “I especially wish to apologise to the individual at the centre of the incident and others directly impacted. I had no right to raise this issue and especially without their permission.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/mar/23/news-corp-australia-rounds-on-scott-morrison-over-simply-untrue-harassment-claim

  37. Kronomex

    Saint Scotty of the Spinning can change his views so rapidly that he could wear his clothes backwards, face away from the cameras, and spin around so fast that he doesn’t need to change his suit.

    Kaye Lee, I expect we are going to see more of Scummo losing it and lashing out as time goes by as his temper frays and people don’t treat him with the RESPECT AND HONOUR HE SO RIGHTLY DESERVES as the loser, oops, leader he believes he is.

    Lots of running away and hiding in his grim future?

  38. Kaye Lee

    And even though parliament is sitting, ScoWoe has released pictures of him flying around in a helicopter looking at the floods in Western Sydney this morning. I wonder how many resources were diverted and how much it cost for him to come up from Canberra for his photo shoot and then get back in time for parliament. He could have looked at the news like the rest of us but no, ScoD’oh just has to make it about him. ENOUGH with the official photographer. ENOUGH with wasting time and money.

  39. Terence Mills

    Alan Jones on Sky made an interesting point last night about the exponential growth of political and media advisers since he was a speech writer for PM Malcolm Fraser.

    In those days he said you could count the number of those appointments on one hand. Now the numbers are out of control with largely young self important partisan warriors running around government departments with little or no skills but with a fierce fundamental, perhaps fanatical, loyalty to their party (mainly the Liberal party).

    You saw how those two young people were able to demand access to a minister’s office at 2 am in the early hours of a Saturday morning, flaunting security and even though at least one of them was pissed. They didn’t have the required security passes yet still were able to access a secure area for nefarious purposes. Incidentally, the male in question who is accused of rape has still not been charged.

    Nobody seems to be in control of what goes in these offices and as Malcolm Turnbull noted, it should not be necessary for the prime minister to have to introduce a ‘bonking ban’ to stop his ministers rooting the staff. Now we have these staff masturbating in minister’s offices – what next ?

    Folks, we need to take our country back from these wankers !

    Who is in charge of these political appointments : they are beyond the control of the Public Service

  40. Kaye Lee

    Tasmanian Liberal Sue Hickey:

    On Monday the First of March at the Hobart City Council’s citizenship ceremony, I casually asked the Honourable Senator Eric Abetz if the Minister allegedly accused of the alleged rape that occurred around 30 years ago was the Honourable Christian Porter MP.

    The Senator quickly responded that yes, it was the first law officer of the nation, Christian Porter, but not to worry, the woman is dead and the law will protect him.

    He then said, as for that Higgins girl, anybody who is so disgustingly drunk, who would sleep with anybody, could have slept with one of our spies and put the security of our nation at risk.

  41. calculus witherspoon.

    Is Scomo so wrong?

    Or Paul Walter, for that matter, re “kettle/pot black”?

    Was there not a former photographer from Murdochs on TV the other night on ABC about an absolutely toxic culture at News corpse?

    It is a white collar rightist cultural thing, mutually reinforcing, both in politics and at tabloid Milly Dowler media.

    Think of what a grip, how harmful, this constantly projected false cultural paradigm and its memes have on the minds of ordinary simple isolated individuals over time, as to what constitutes “normal” behaviour.

    Exhibit(ionist) A, The preppie pulling himself off over the female politician’s desk?

    imbued infantilism.

  42. Harry Lime

    Pleasing to see good old,’The Honorable Senator Abetz’ reminding us of just how rotten our Feral government is.Well done, that man,take a well earned permanent holiday on a fat taxpayer funded pension.

  43. Michael Taylor

    NEC, I don’t think Morrison would be sleeping very well these days. Maybe we can put his grumpiness down to lack of sleep.

    The clock is ticking, me thinks. The only thing that might save him is that a leadership challenger now has to receive more than 75% of the votes in a spill. That new rule, you may recall, was introduced by Morrison shortly after unseating Turnbull.

    PS: my email is playing up. Are you able to resend me a copy of your recent email?

  44. Kaye Lee

    For the record, Senator Abetz denies he made those comments and suggested Hickey is just angry because she has been told she won’t be preselected.

    I can understand her being angry but I cannot fathom why she would make that up.

  45. Henry Rodrigues

    The wheel perhaps are falling off the liars party bandwagon. Now its one member calling out the other.

    Keep it coming fools, we’ll yet consign you to the dustbin pf australian political history.

  46. Baby Jewels

    Just for the record, I believe Hickey. What she reported is exactly the sort of gumpf Abetz would say.

  47. paul walter

    Been having a bit of a tug of war over this, but does this writer dare speculate that a certain Linda (no second name) is the object of preppie lusts in Parli?

  48. leefe

    Sue Hickey is as honest and as unbiased as it is possible to be in the LNP (actually more so, which is why they’ve dropped her). And Erica? He is, if anything worse than Dutton. Given the choice, there’s no doubt whose account I believe.

  49. Kaye Lee

    paul,

    ProMo told Ray Hadley:

    “There was an act of great disrespect towards a woman in the thing that was released the other night, and that was what happened in the Chief Whip’s office, who is a female and a good friend of mine and that was a great act of disgusting disrespect. ”

    I presume he was referring to Nola Marino (Chief Whip 2015-2019). Currently, Bert van Manen is Chief Whip and Nicolle Flint and Rowan Ramsey are the Whips.

    And if anyone wants to sue me, I will refer you to the PM’s transcript

    https://www.pm.gov.au/media/interview-ray-hadley-2gb-5

  50. paul walter

    ……….!!!

  51. paul walter

    Just watching the Karvelas engaged in pitched stoushes with Sen (the lady is not for stopping) Keneally and MP Zali Steggle.

    Steggle was basically sad and disheartened, but Keneally and Karvelas was like asbestos colliding with granite…phew!

    Absolutely no doubt, the crass remarks of Abetz were matched by the continued failure of acknowledgement by the idiot face PM, but gee, the down cast looks on the PMs front bench really said it all.

    Abetz is more brutal than Karvelas, Kenneally and Steggle combined, this lack of empathy will be become legendary, involving as it does individuals already notorious for sanctimony and insensitivity over many years.

    Already posted, but must just comment on LNP MP Julian Leeser being utterly shredded by a Labor MP AND Karvelas. An absolute stone faced moron and of course no doubt another preppie.

    Will these mugs go to the grave rather than acknowledge a simple mistake, apologise and engage.

    After all, what would it cost them, but conceit?

  52. paul walter

    Honestly, the more this goes on, the more the writer senses he is sitting watching a threepeat of Yes Minister or more to the point, Life of Brian, esp Chapman and Palin with the Ret Wabbit scene.

    Or maybe Cleese and Basil Faulty

    Must be that gold top trip back in ’75 stlll kicking, I suppose I can eventually wake up and find it has all been a giant hallucination or weird dream.

  53. Kaye Lee

    OMG

    They just said on the news that a reshuffle will see Peter Dutton given the defence portfolio, Staurt Robert given Home Affairs, and Michaelia Cash made Attorney General.

    Merit????

    MERIT?????

    FFS you could not find WORSE people to promote!!!!!!

  54. paul walter

    Nola Marino.

    Bestiality…No place for sheep.

    I have my suspicions about what else could be happening and folk will come to their own conclusions as to what happens at the end of the day, in the fullness of time, wearing their party hats.

  55. Michael Taylor

    Will Scott Morrison do an Abbott and appoint himself Minister for Women?

  56. Harry Lime

    What portfolio will Napoleon the Pig get? Prime Hog?

  57. Terence Mills

    New legislation has been hastily prepared to exclude parliamentary staffers from FOI requests on submissions they make to the enquiry into the culture in our parliament and that is a good thing but, did you know that this freedom from FOI scrutiny has been extended to ministers and their agencies ?

  58. Kaye Lee

    “Sabra Lane then asks the prime minister ‘is your leadership safe’?

    Scott Morrison:

    Absolutely (laughs) What…what suggestions are you picking up there? (laughs again)

    No I’ve been very grateful for the tremendous support I’ve had from all of my colleagues, from my cabinet, my ministers all the way through to my party room, they have just, I’ve just been overwhelmed by the amount of support that I’ve received from my colleagues this week.

    Our party has never been more united.”

    FFS Scotty is grateful for the support HE has received???? Like HE is the victim here????? And if this is his idea of a united party, then he really IS deaf!

  59. Michael Taylor

    Kaye, he sounds just like the president of a football club confirming the support the coach has from the club, who then sacks said coach two days later.

  60. Terence Mills

    Kaye

    I can’t see Dutton giving up his Home Affairs empire so my guess is that he will be appointed ‘acting’ Defence Minister and retain Home Affairs.

    The question is, will Dutton start counting numbers to challenge Morrison !

  61. Michael Taylor

    Terry, it’s time for a leadership spill. A Labor spill, that is.

    Morrison is on the ropes, the government is in a shambles, and Albo isn’t cutting it.

  62. Harry Lime

    Given the current political atmospherics,wouldn’t this be the perfect time for Tanya Plibersek to get the gig?Provided she would accept the job and the entrenched hierarchy would seize the opportunity.Any attempt by the..Liar’s mob to denigrate a woman would seriously backfire.We are all well aware here of the cost of giving the thieves and incompetents another term.Albo is a good bloke, but I agree he’s not cutting the mustard.

  63. Kaye Lee

    Another annoying part of FauxMo’s speech was when he called on “women to stand with me as I go about this … I need them to stand in this place … I need them to continue to blaze that trail right here in this place”.

    We don’t really care about YOUR needs Scotty.

    “Scott Morrison has a responsibility, as Prime Minister and as a privileged white male, to call on men to stand up and acknowledge that as a gender group, they perpetrate the bulk of violence against women,” international expert on police responses to sexual violence and Professor of Criminology at New Zealand’s Victoria University of Wellington, Jan Jordan, told news.com.au.

    “The responsibility for addressing the major problem of sexual violence in Australia, shared also in New Zealand, must not be placed on the shoulders of victims and survivors or women generally, since for too long they have been blamed for ‘getting themselves raped’.”

    “We ask women why they don’t protect themselves, rather than asking, ‘Why do women feel the need to protect themselves from men?’ and ‘What do men need to do to ensure women are safe?’”

    https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/scott-morrisons-speech-exposed-big-problem-with-australias-attitude-on-sexual-assault/news-story/5777ccd4d670a8064bc55ea3c9fbc120

  64. Michael Taylor

    Unfortunately the mainstream media in Australia never bothers to scratch below the surface. They’re too interested in reporting on what has happened without bothering to delve into why it happened.

  65. paul walter

    Terence Mills.

    They (Tories) say they get it even as their actions always diametrically expose the reality.

    Why was the public never a wake up to these people over the last decade and

    2.Why did the ALP run so quickly from the fight when people still trusted it.

    It can’t just rely on Penny Wong and a few others who carry the fight, to make the rest seem honest, then put the dominant right faction hacks back in control to betray the public when they do win government.

    We want REAL Labor, not a boorish replay of Toryism and its false consciousness, myopia and greed.

  66. Terence Mills

    Michael

    I have to agree, Albo isn’t cutting through and his questions at QT in the House are pathetic : with all that’s going on a well crafted set of questions would have this mob on the ropes.

    Maybe it’s time to give Tanya a go, she’s been around a long time and can be tough when needed and she commands a lot of respect.

  67. Kronomex

    I have to agree about Albo, he is way too wishy-washy to front federal Labor. That’s why I call him the Hamster: a squeak or two then off for a rest.

  68. Lambchop Simnel

    Wrong faction, Terence, re Plibersek type political figures.

    If the ALP spent a tenth the time getting rid of the Tories as they did blocking each other, we’d be in government permanently.

    And scrapping with the Greens, who ought to be allies not competitors…

    There is a fundamental contradiction of outlook and view at bottom, to do with compliance with things logically unacceptable against the need for genuine change.

    One lot is happy to adapt, thinks capitalism is the natural and desirable default that cant or won’t change and adapts to take the scraps off the bosses table; is a similar set of ideas to social liberalism.

    The other seeks to rid society of hierarchy, theft and injustice and the churn that goes with that in a pursuit of a then logically, happier and well looked after civilisation still emerging through the mists of historical process. Left Laborism perhaps has as much to do with the Christianity of the Sermon on the Mount and Parables and the self-sacrifice involved around the Crucifixion, more than it does with the service of Mammon. Leftism is normative, the rest consequentialist.

    Stalinism showed how really difficult it is to translate the critique of capitalism into some thing that works as a practical plan because it failed to understand the concept of commodification as it operates in culture; in short, things won’t change while society keeps reproducing people who reflexively lie, steal, resent and war to control resources rather than cooperate to build a logical, needs based and enviro friendly civilisation.

    At this time in the process people are barbaric, they recognise the price of everything and the value of nothing, because this is as far as the system allows people to go. Civilisation and capitalism have got us so far, but the mind blowing changes of the last two or three centuries render it now inoperable as mechanism for civilisational growth that extends beyond “red in tooth and claw” to some thing more cooperative and meaningful, despite all the examples in the history books loaded with precedents extending now, over several thousand years.

    You may say I’m a dreamer, but the alternative seems beyond nauseating.

  69. Henry Rodrigues

    Whether it is Albo or anyone else, Labor has got to release the mongrel in their approach. No more nice guys or gals, just hard brutal politics, harder and more brutal than those knobs on the other side, who have almost the whole media on their side. If alliances with the Greens have to be considered, then so be it. The Coalition have been banking on the division between the progressive forces and exploiting it for decades. Their own alliance with the braindead nationals is based solely on expedience. Why can’t Labor and the Greens just for once recognize that and compromise just enough to get rid of these bastards.

    The people of Australia deserve better, a government free from corruption, not beholden to the fossil fuel industry, a government that rules for the benefit and respect of all its citizens, male and female, transgender and gay, well to do or poor, white, brown, coloured or black. A government that’s not bound by some hocus pocus religious mumbo jumbo bullshit, aided and abetted by crinkled old bastards who care only about filling up their coffers.

  70. Matters Not

    Bill Shorten lost an unlosable election because he alienated the small percentage in the middle which decide who wins or loses. Albo abandoned that platform (or at least those aspects that caused electoral rejection) because it was a political millstone and instead waits for Morrison to do the losing. Waits for Morrison to over-reach. To fail. To shoot himself in the foot. Always confident that he housed the seeds of his own destruction.

    Now when Morrison is in dire straits, politically crippled from within, some want Labor to stop spectating and provide a distracting sideshow via a leadership contest. Has Labor been infiltrated? Or just desperate to find new ways to lose?

    Albo can’t win but Morrison can lose. Be thankful for small mercies. It’s been too long!

  71. Michael Taylor

    MN, agree that leadership spills can be destructive and that the government would seize upon it, but oh how I wish that Labor had a better leader.

    Yes, too late, but I am prone to fanciful thinking.

  72. Matters Not

    MT, it’s virtually impossible for Labor to replace a Leader who chooses NOT to step down. That’s Rudd’s legacy. Albo knows he will get but one chance – so it’s extremely unlikely he’s going to leap from his lofty tower. Morrison also changed the rules along Labor lines so that he didn’t have to worry about challengers as well. For both sides of the aisle, replacing a Leader now involves a shit fight. Involves internal mayhem.

    At the moment (but only at this perhaps fleeting moment) Labor couldn’t want a better opponent than Morrison. He’s self-destructing. Don’t interfere. Keep your head down. Have confidence in your (apparent) strategy. Don’t become the political target. Don’t give Morrison a political back-door. Remember, both sides have rusted-ons – it’s the swinging voters – those easily swayed, very emotional, ideological uncommitted voters occupying the metaphorical middle who provide the path to victory.

  73. Lambchop Simnel

    Michael, one the reasons Rudd was overthrown was because he challenged factional control.

    Yes Michael Taylor, so life goes on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams…

  74. Lambchop Simnel

    Wasn’t I reading somewhere that the Government is now busy drawing up legislation to prevent civil servants from appearing before Senate Estimates?

    You see, they always get it when they find they are wrong and make appropriate amends… none of this non accountability on principle rubbish, only psychopaths would do that.

    How can people lie this prolifically for such base reasons so often and destructively?

  75. Matters Not

    Lambchop Simnel, if you watch Senate Estimate hearings (underway in the present – just Google for live broadcasts or click here https://www.aph.gov.au/news_and_events/watch_parliament)

    you will see that without public servants to answer questions there would be virtually nothing on display. Just imagine a Play without Actors.

    At Estimate Hearings (without going into too much detail) there is usually a Minister (but there can be more) plus the Head(s) of Department(s) and Agencies etc. As well there’s any number of public servants who either know the detail or at least know where to find it. If the detail is not known the public servant will take the Question on Notice and provide the detail in writing at a later date. (A pain in the arse – so most prefer to answer in the then and there,)

    Generally speaking, the public servant(s) will provide answers to all question EXCEPT those which relate to government policy. That’s why the Minister(s) are there. And of course there’s always a fine line.

    Essential for Oppositions to get valid, spin-free, info.

  76. Michael Taylor

    MN, I was one of the lucky few who had to provide answers to likely questions to the Minister or the Department Secretary.

    Then we’d all sit around a TV giving quiet cheers when Penny Wong would make our Secretary look like a dill. Our Minister at the time, Joe Hockey, was a permanent dill so no effort was required from Penny.

  77. Kaye Lee

    Labor cannot afford a leadership battle but Albo could read the room, hold a press conference, and say, at this moment, Australia needs a female to lead the change this country needs to make.

    Mind you, I am still mightily pissed off with Labor for dumping Gillard.

    And I am sick of their factional crap. Can anyone tell me the point of Richard Marles? Only thing he has said lately is that we will find aliens soon.

  78. Matters Not

    Labor’s best talent(s) (in the political sense) are Penny Wong and Kristina Keneally but both are in the wrong – other place. And it’s too late to change.

    Further, Wong wouldn’t run because she recognises only too well that Australia, like many other Nations, is still inherently racist. Years and years ago, in an extended interview with Adams on Radio National, Penny Wong explained why she didn’t even try for a seat in the HoR and chose the Senate route instead. And while things might have changed, a lesbian Wong as the Leader is still probably a couple of bridges too far.

    As for Marles, perhaps he owns the bat and ball?

  79. Kaye Lee

    I heard the interview and understand Penny Wong’s dilemma.

    Re Marles, must be something like that. I remember sending my son to kindy with a ball telling him it was the quickest way to make friends.

  80. Matters Not

    While we may be at a political cross-roads (and my wife thinks we are) I remain unconvinced. Yes the potential is there but that’s just a starting point – essential as they might be. But without an organisation to do the heavy lifting, matters of substance won’t materialise..

    And it can’t be gifted. It has to be won.

  81. Kaye Lee

    Instead of getting bogged down in tax reform that most didn’t understand, they could run on bringing integrity back to government/politics. Imagine….

  82. Kaye Lee

    Another cause for cynicism, when there is a Cabinet reshuffle, FOI requests for documents no longer apply to the new minister so the boxes disappear to the archives…. “the document is no longer an official document of the minister”

    https://twitter.com/DarrenODonovan/status/1374649017079009280/photo/1

    I would imagine it’s a great way to end those pesky FOI requests to defence from Rex Patrick.

  83. Terence Mills

    Two ministers are on sick leave, one suffering mental stress and evidently busy planning his defamation case strategy against the national broadcaster and the other with a heart condition and this prime minister says he will welcome them back into important cabinet positions.

    Clearly scraping the bottom of the Liberal party barrel.

  84. Lambchop Simnel

    Kaye Lee, not so sure it is just cynicism.

    It is becoming obvious that this government is consciously trying to put over something very cynical and dangerous itself at the expense of Australians.

  85. Kronomex

    paul walterMarch 23, 2021 at 7:36 pm

    “Aaggh, me kilt and arse.”

    Gravel Burns.
    The poet the Burns family never mentions.

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