It could be alleged that I’m biased against Tony Abbott, when I suggest that he is a two-faced liar, intent on returning us to the 1950’s – and I mean that in terms of wages and rights rather than social attitudes. However, I would argue that I have reached my conclusions after carefully considering all the evidence and that, for anyone to still support Abbott, they must clearly have a different agenda to the Liberal’s stated policies at the recent election.

But that’s the thing about bias. The biased person just doesn’t see it. I read a recent diatribe in the comments section where the person complained about aborigines – how they were handed so much which they just wasted and how fearful he was if he saw a “mob” of them in the street and how terrible it was that we weren’t allowed to have a WHITE channel (like NiTV) and, well, you couldn’t say things like this without people calling you a “racist”!

And so when Tony Abbott criticises the ABC, I find it hard to resist the temptation to argue that they only appear to be left wing, because of the MSM’s been so right wing.

However, I know that would be a mistake. To attempt to argue about bias is as futile as trying to pretend that Collingwood doesn’t get poorly treated by the umpires. (In the games I saw, there was not one free kick that the opposition deserved! But don’t take my word for it, ask any other Magpie member.)

The issue is not one of whether the ABC is biased or not. The issue is whether or not the government of the day is in a position to judge that bias. And whether there should be implicit threats to the ABC in the form of an inquiry into its “efficiency”. If anyone is seriously arguing that it’s just a coincidence that such a thing should be announced in the same week as Abbott’s attack, then they can join me at a Collingwood game and see people with a better grip on reality.

Assuming Abbott knew that an inquiry was to be announced and that it hadn’t just slipped his mind, did he not think that his comments might be construed in much the same way as you’d view someone saying: “I know where you live. And I have access to petrol!”

If the ABC starts announcing that we have to “Get Rid Of This Mob” and “We Need Shorten”, then it would be more reasonable to argue that it was overstepping the mark. But even then, the Coalition and various sections of the media cheer squad made strong arguments for the freedom of the press without government interference in recent years.

Is the reason that these principles now seem to be less important because we’re talking about the ABC? Or because we’re talking about a different government?