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The suppository of all wisdom’s verbal diarrhea flows unchecked

 

Returning triumphant from his taxpayer-funded pollie pedal ride, Tony Abbott has engaged in a media blitz to pass on his diagnosis of the problems of modern politics.

First, he wrote an article in The Telegraph outlining how the Coalition was on the road to defeat and what they should do to turn it around. Then we find that he has replaced Scott Morrison for the regular gig with Ray Hadley on 2GB. Also appearing on Sky, Abbott seems determined to be noticed.

And he is not expecting any backlash for speaking out. Talking to Ray Hadley, Tony revealed that he shirtfronted senior minister Matthias Cormann when he criticised Abbott for a similar spray against the government in February.

“Mathias and I had a man-to-man talk you might say about that particular outburst of his,” he told 2GB host Ray Hadley. “We had a very blunt conversation about it. If you don’t like what someone is doing, rather than speak out publicly at least in the first instance you should have a man-to-man discussion.”

Can he not see the hypocrisy of that as he takes to the airwaves to tell the country what his government is doing wrong rather than discussing it in the party room?

So what wisdom did the failed ex-PM have to offer?

Mr Abbott says to retain power and please the public the government must reform the Senate (I thought we just did that); stop subsidising wind power (and presumably subsidise coal instead); dump the Human Rights Commission, “a nanny-state bureaucracy which persecutes journalists but does nothing about Muslim extremists” (he had to get “Muslim” in there somewhere and he has never considered human rights important); protect workers but make it easier for future generations to get work (no mention of how); abolish the Safe Schools program (which we all know is a Marxist brainwashing exercise to make all children transgender); and “don’t apologise for Australia; celebrate it” (as we cut foreign aid, fail to act on climate change, and fail to close the gap on indigenous disadvantage).

No mention of foreign policy. No mention of taxation reform. No mention of housing affordability. No mention of the corruption and nepotism of the political class. (Ok, that last one was a flight of fancy on my part.)

Speaking of Abbott’s failed attempt to join the priesthood, Fr Brian Wright said:

“The study of theology did not capture Tony’s imagination. He did passably well; not as well as his academic background may have indicated. I do not recall that he ever talked about theology while at Manly. His concern was with churchmanship. Tony is inclined to score points, to skate over or hold back any reservations he might have about his case.”

Nothing has changed. Even in the church, for Tony it was all about the politics and not about the substance as shown by his comments on why he left.

A “cooperative” style of management ran counter to the Church’s age-old hierarchical structure. l felt “had” by a seminary that so stressed ”empathy” with sinners and “dialogue” with the Church’s enemies that the priesthood seemed to have lost its point.”

Abbott craves power. His only method to achieve it is to latch onto niche causes that he thinks will make him popular and to attack anyone or anything that stands in his way even if it is his own government.

While Abbott insists he is against dumping a sitting Prime Minister, I am sure he will have no such hesitation in rolling a defeated one and he seems to be doing everything he can to make that happen.

28 comments

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  1. Ricardo29

    A lying, self delusional hypocrite.sometimes I think, briefly, the Libs should put him back as PM, it would absolutely guarantee their loss next election, but upon reflection, we already have too much of him. I’m with Entsch, go away!

  2. Klaus Petrat

    Hi Kaye,

    The only concern I have is, that the media, yourself and some others are spending with a have beens.

    The battle front now lies with Mal, Scott, Peter, Chris, Michaela, Alan, ….. The list is long indeed.

  3. helvityni

    Klaus, I tend to think the same, this Abbott obsession ought be the thing of the past, he’s a yesterday’s man , a has-been…like Hanson.

    Now it’s up to Mal and his ‘capable’ pals to run the country. Are THEY up it, is the question.

  4. Rossleigh

    The only question now with Abbott is whether he’s so delusional that he thinks undermining Mal will have him return to the leadership, whether he hopes that if Dutton or Morrison become leader, he’ll be returned to the Cabinet, or whether he’s simply doing this out of spite. Then again, it could be a combination of all three…
    BTW, did I mention that I’ve recently read Jon Ronson’s “The Psychopath Test”? I don’t know why this springs to mind…

  5. Kaye Lee

    I do understand what you are saying. It is always a dilemma when writing about people like Abbott, Hanson, Christensen, Bernardi et al.

    Abbott is still a member of parliament who very strongly pushes the ultra-conservative agenda. To a degree, he is the rallying point which keeps the movement alive. Eric Abetz only gets air time when he is defending Abbott.

    The people of Manly should be hunting for a strong local candidate to oust this troublemaker.

    I agree there are far more important issues facing our nation than anything Abbott ever brings up but he is distracting the government from acting on them as they are continually fighting a rear guard action against their own factions. Every idea they float gets publicly scuttled by their own party before it is even properly discussed. Instead of important stuff, we argue about same sex marriage, the reintroduction of the draconian ABCC, and whether bigots should be allowed to humiliate people.

    Turnbull is hamstrung. If he is to lead, then Abbott and co. must be brought into line. The audacity of Abbott telling Hadley he gave Cormann a dressing down is gobsmacking.

  6. Henry Rodrigues

    Don’t you all just enjoy watching them tear themselves to pieces ? And long may they stay in that frame of mind. Its a catharsis that this country surely needs to get rid of the suppurating sore that is the LNP government.

  7. Roscoe

    the rumor is Margaret Cuneen (friend of Roger and Eddie) is a likely candidate for Manly, should be a great choice

  8. Harry.V.Dirchy

    That Frank Speaker/P.Duddy actually gets spoken of as LNP leadership material/ PM (at least by the MSM commentariat) beggars belief. The bloke is an absolute dill.

  9. Roswell

    I like have Tony around. He’s fun.

  10. helvityni

    Agree, he is funny, he even walks in a weird fashion. The sad thing he wants to be taken seriously….

    During the election period I thought that Trump too was funny; now I just find him scary, very very dangerous; now we have to take him seriously…

  11. more mainstream everyday

    people who crave power should be the last given it, for their sakes and for the sake of everyone else

  12. jimhaz

    Abbott is just a North Shore Pauline Hanson. Not much difference to the way they react to the misfortunes of others.

    I think the ideal job for Abbott would have been working at a Shoe kiosk at Warringah Mall. He would have made a good Al Bundy from Married with Children.

  13. Barry

    mme – true. Funny thing is that those who seek to be bigger than Ben Hur have a habit of falling on their face in time. Chasing fame through being political seems to guarantee that fate in most cases.

  14. amethyst3009

    TA has boxing – induced dementia. So much points to it: the head nodding in ‘that interview’ where he couldn’t speak; the suppository of knowledge (from someone who is a Rhodes Scholar, lawyer, journalist, ie a wordsmith, is simply unbelievable); the peculiar posture and the way he carries his body; sudden inappropriate outbursts (‘shit happens’),shirtfront Putin etc, etc;

    See: Dementia pugilistica

  15. Kaye Lee

    amethyst,

    Tony was the same before his very short-lived boxing career which amounted to four fights, three of which ended in the first round and the other in the second. Tony won them all. All I can say is the standard must have been pretty low. The rugby team had dumped him after one game.

  16. Wayne Turner

    Quick COALition take Idiot boy Abbott’s advice. You will then sink even quicker and lower.

    Abbott’s a lying hypocritical delusional moron.

    The real problem with the COALition is they kept the same dumb policies and only changed leader.Should have done both,and it’s what people were expecting/hoping for.

    Abbott long ago flew over the cockoo’s nest.An utter nutjob.

  17. Kaye Lee

    Abbott has gone back to his “credit card” rhetoric.

    “Everyone needs to live within their means – government is no different than business and households,” Mr Abbott told 2GB radio. “Our country has been living on the credit card and sooner or later it is going to go badly unless we take action. This budget is better than any time to get on with it.”

    People are fed up with MPs saying one thing and doing ­another, he says. Cue the “No cuts” video.

    “People are sick of politicians that are more talk than action and are especially sick of politicians who change their policies to suit their political convenience.” says the man who self-described as a “weathervane” on climate change.

    “People aren’t happy. There’s an added dimension of frustration with everyone in politics: with governments that don’t deliver, with oppositions that oppose just to score political points, and with minor parties that are all grievance and no solution.” said the man who said “the natural instincts of an Opposition are to oppose a Government .”

    Mr Abbott also took aim at Mr Shorten and the “union-controlled, Greens-influenced Labor Party that still thinks Rudd and Gillard had good policies”. You mean the ones that steered us through the global financial crisis, the ones that started the NDIS, the ones that took real action on climate change and needs-based funding for education, the ones that brought us paid parental leave and started an NBN that would work as opposed to the crap we have had dished up? I could go on and on….

    “People seem to be working out that Labor is at least as responsible for our problems as the government,” he writes. Is that a concession that they have doubled the debt?

    “In fact, not only did Labor create the debt and deficit disaster and the political correctness epidemic, but it’s now making it impossible to fix through its intransigence in the Senate.” The Coalition has 30 seats in the Senate and Labor has 26. The Greens have 9 which gives the progressives only 35 votes. The Liberal Democrats and Family First are government votes as are PHON if you throw Pauline a bone by allowing her to hold endless inquiries into ridiculous things. That leaves Lambie, Hinch and Xenephon’s 3 and he has shown himself also susceptible to meaningless bribes. Most of the crossbench are there because of Malcolm’s cunning plan to hold a DD election which was hardly Labor’s fault.

  18. longwhitekid

    Don’t you need *at least* one man for a man-to-man?

  19. Miriam English

    Oh please let them bring back Abbott as prime minister. Currently there is still a chance the LNP could win the next election, but with Abbott as leader they would be completely screwed. They would be a laughing stock and have absolutely no chance at power. Please, please let him topple Turnbull. It might also serve to kill off the religious right-wing inside the LNP.

  20. Kaye Lee

    Miriam, I think he wants to see Turnbull lose first although he would probably settle for a resignation. Tony is 59. I think he feels he will outlast Turnbull one way or another.

  21. 1petermcc

    I think it’s impressive that Tony thinks pollies are unpopular without the hint of a wink to suggest he has probably done more to damage their reputation himself. Remember the claims that he hadn’t broken any promises when the count was sitting somewhere around 24?

    That his Party are unprepared to call him out over his low popularity due to disrespecting Voters, suggests they are not too concerned with his attitude. It’s possibly even mainstream.

    As for writing Tony off, he never plays a straight bat when it comes to aspirations. When the spill comes he will all it would take is one of his mates to suggest he stand and Tony will “reluctantly” put himself forward for the “good of the Party”. He simply can’t make the connection between his polling figures and the winning of seats. Exactly how his brain cannot make the connection is a puzzle of Trump-like magnitude.

  22. Jaquix

    Wonderful watching the chaos, disunity and incompetence of the govt. Remember Mal warning what would happen if we voted for Labor? Chaos, disunity and incompetence. The best thing to happen to Abbott would be for him to have to battle for preselection in Warringah, and then if he got it, lose the seat. Manly by-election delivered swings of nearly 25% I think, so it’s not impossible.

  23. David

    Ah yes abbott,…. Australians For Honest Politics ey?

  24. Terry2

    Abbott is 59 : does he realize that a fulfilling life is passing him by with all this silly media posturing. His family should have a word with him and tell him that he needs to consider what he is going to do with the rest of his life and it isn’t in politics.

    Sad, really !

  25. Lance

    What is it with this Island Nation that we can Produce such strange critters such as George Pell and Tony Abbott
    is it—–that the tyranny of distance—– which has allowed such peculiar ,irregular,abnormal biological human specimens to evolve out of control

  26. Kat (@writtenword09)

    Tones popping his head up and digging his heels in, as usual. He’s so blind to himself he can’t see his own faults. We can only remember that he says one thing and does another. He lies and forgets that he lies. I’m sure he’d love to grasp the top job back.

  27. Alan Baird

    “Stop subsidising wind power (and presumably subsidise coal instead)”…
    Not so much “instead”, substitute “even more”. Coal already gets a whopping subsidy but in Tony’s calculation, that’s only a down payment on more money churned back into Liberal coffers for elections, so more of our taxes need to go back into coal and so on ad infinitum.

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