This Is Probably Offensive But Hypocrisy Is The Latest Fashion So…
For several days, I’ve been wrestling with the events around the death of Kimberley Kitching and wondering how I can write something with the sensitivity that a tragic death demands. After all, her family have asked for it not to be used as some sort of political football.
But then I looked at the various headlines in the Murdoch media and I thought: I write satire and if I’m not offending people occasionally then I’m not trying hard enough. What, I wondered, was there excuse?
Of course, I actually do think that her death was a tragedy and I actually do think that if her treatment amounted to bullying then maybe it’s time we took a good hard look at the way we approach politics in this country and maybe there’s a case for finding ways to respectfully disagree.
Having stated that I’m now left with a big HOWEVER.
Senator Kitching died of a heart attack. This may or may not have been caused by stress caused by her colleagues. Whether we have an inquiry, a coronial inquest or a Spanish Inquisition, nobody will ever know for sure what actually triggered the heart attack. Imagine if you will, someone trying to claim compensation from the government for a heart attack caused by a robodebt notice and you’ll understand that it’s easy for some people to deny all responsibility when something can’t be proven beyond reasonable doubt. In saying this, I am not being an apologist for any poor behaviour that those accused of bullying Senator Kitching may be guilty of; I am merely pointing out that the way the media is portraying the situation suggests that their behaviour was somehow worse than anything else we’ve heard about in the toxic culture of federal parliament.
As far as I can see, the media are demanding that Labor embark on some sort of choose-your-own-adventure book here. Like one of those books, there are a range of different stories depending on what one chooses.
Chapter 1: You have been accused of causing a colleagues death? Do you say nothing (Go to Chapter 2) or do you attempt to deny responsibility (Go to Chapter 3)
Chapter 2: Your leader Anthony Albanese is asked for his comment. Does he agree with you that it’s not the time to comment. (Go to Chapter 4) or does he hold an inquiry? (Co To Chapter 5)
Chapter 3: When asked why won’t you comment you say: It’s not an appropriate time.. (Go to Chapter 7) or refuse to make any comment. (Go back to Chapter 2,)
Chapter 4: In response to demands for an inquiry, you say that internal processes are there to look at complaints of bullying (Go back to Chapter 2. You realise that you’re going to be stuck in Chapter 2 forever unless you make another choice.) or you agree to hold an inquiry (Go to Chapter 5)
Chapter 5: The media want to know when the inquiry will release its findings and are unsatisfied that you won’t answer questions about what the inquiry will find so they ask you why you are hiding behind this inquiry. You reply that Phil Gaetjens is leading the inquiry. (Stop reading now, your political career is over) or you say that you’re not in charge of it but you’ll let people know what it says. (Go to Chapter 7)
Chapter 6: Inquiry finds that some of her colleagues were annoyed at Kimberley Kitching and this may or may not have led to her untimely death but it recommends that, in future nobody speaks harshly to anyone and that we all try to get along (Go to Chapter 7) OR Inquiry finds that there was no inappropriate behaviour by anyone (Go to Chapter 7 – everything ultimately leads to Chapter 7)
Chapter 7; The Murdoch media tells you that the Labor Party is to blame. It really doesn’t matter what happens or what path you choose, this where you’ll end up and Senator Ktiching’s tragic death is one of the few things they can hold against them at the moment and they’re not letting go. You can expect the Choose-your-own adventure to be only thing you’ll be reading in the papers until the election.
But while the Murdoch media is calling out the “mean girls” of the Labor Party it’s good to see Liberal women keeping touch with their ex-colleagues via Twitter.
I probably should add that these posts were in the past few days.
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Return to home pageThat infestation of aching haemorrhoids known as the Murdoch Media menagerie of Misfits is a site of institutional untruth, unrest, uncivilised propaganda. In politics there is hard conversation and stubborn discourse every day, hour, minute, tough stuff. Some may choose to call aspects of this bullying, and the Murdochites would know about that coercion and pressure. People may well die of bullying, running with bulls, injections for fun, anything, IF it is true and one can prove it. The current conservative shitpile is a naturally bullying bunch, led by a deficient bullying backstabber.
Samantha Maiden was quite outspoken on the Insiders this morning. But her defence of Kitching was the equivalent of damning with faint praise, by confirming rumours that Maiden was at pains to deny.
If the late senator WAS very close to Pauline Hanson, and DID email the occasional snippet of ALP policy to a Liberal Minister, then her ALP colleagues were wise not to befriend her. Whether that equals bullying is moot.
I doubt it.
Absolutely bang-on! Scomo’s breathtaking hypocrisy (and that of his hangers-on and press acolytes) knows no bounds. The whole suggestion that the ‘mean girls’ faction killed Ms Kitching, and that is what is being implied, is utterly unsustainable. The Tories know how play dirty so if any Opposition member dies of a heart attack in the near future we’ll know whom to blame.
Looking at the logo for the “Women’s Network” I can’t help but wonder how much the marketing firm whofirst created it are laughing all the way to the bank?
Hopefully our hopelessly inadequate prime minister and his little band of incompetents will soon experience the same fate as their South Australian mates – desirably in a slaughter of similar magnitude. A number of his fellow fiddlers have already predicted this and announced their decision to leap overboard as soon as an election is called.
The good news for Scumbo is that there may soon be a management vacancy with his friendly happy clapping mates.
@ James Leonard: Surely you are NOT suggesting that Scummo would organise for a dirt file on Brian Hou$ton held by the Hell$inger$ Choru$ of Paedophile Protectors (for a price) so that the Pastorship he purchased for about $40 MILLION with public monies could become open soon after the May 2022 feral elections?
Why that would have Chori$ter$ recall the events of his rise to become Prim Monster and further reduce the falling numbers at the weekly tithing ceremonies.
Maiden was only there to promote her book. Of more interested was the rank denialism shown by Birmingham and the panel on this and other issues.
The response to the SA election, another disaster for rightist populists, for example was like the twitching of a corpse withits reflexive double-down.
These people are shell shocked at the evidence that reality does NOT back a fantasist assertian that wish becomes reality simply because the chosen few care to beleive that.
Spot on and a darn good article with the Chapter story line. Love it. The hypocrisy of Liberals knows no bounds and they keep proving that every day. Basically the whole thing is gossip as Morrison would say. A Liberal loving Murdoch hacks writes an article/piece of fiction of her mind and it’s taken as gospel by the Labor haters. Now they are pouring shit on Wong for not discussing what happened. So tasteless.
Can I make a forbidden comment and point out that the COVID vax has been related to myocarditis, which can lead to a sudden heart attack? I am sure Senator Kitching would have been triple vaxed
king, I have heard (it might have been Dr Norman Swan) that even if triple-vaxxed, Covid can cause heart disease in people over 50.
For a government that killed over 2,000 people with their RoboDebt, failed to hold an inquiry into an alleged rapist that they avidly defended, how they tried to cover up knowledge of a rape in Parliament House and background her partner and assisted the alleged rapist in obtaining future employment…………..them now trying to throw shade at labor over a dead person is about as hypocritical as you can get.
For a government that last year was completely and utterly annihialated in WA, thrashed in SA and may soon also be flogged in NSW they have now reached never before seen levels of desperation to hold on to their holy grail – power. That is power just for the sake of it, not that they want to better the country. Things will no doubt get much worse from here.
Hey ‘mean girls’ , how’d you all get along with Rod Marsh & Warnie?
Asking for a friend.
All the faux hand wringing, forced crocodile tears and belated fake concern from the L/NP, their sycophantic supporters and their media stooges over the unfortunate passing of Kimberly Kitching reeks of ugly heartless political opportunism and pathetic desperation.
Coronary heart disease was the leading cause of death for people aged 45–64. Kimberly Kitching and Shane Warne both passed from natural causes of coronary heart disease at the same age of 52. This puts them both in the middle of the 45 to 64 aged group that coronary heart disease is the principal cause of death. Shane Warne died at the same age 52 and with the same health condition as Kimberly Kitching. Is the L/NP and their sycophantic stooges in the media going to blame Cricket Australia and his team mates for his death because they had differing opinions? Trying to gain some perceived political advantage or a gotchs story over the death of any politician is pathetic, disgusting and reeks of desperation. What a
loathsome and reprehensible group of people you lot are. You prove what low life sewer rats and slime infect the L/NP and the media. Where were the media asking for answers and accountability for the over 2000 unnatural deaths of suicides caused by Morrison’s RoboDebt, the suicide of Porters victim or the premature deaths daily in the continuing Aged Care Crisis?
Beauty, King and Michael, One of my unvaxed rabbottians suggested warne’s death was vaccine related but Kimberley’s demise was certainly preselection stress, exacerbated by alienation from the party loop and, judging from her individual approach to the ‘party line’, her inability to lobby support for a winnable senate position within the party. She sowed an individual stance over her 6 years. QED. I will admit that Gillard came close but Michael might be the first lawyer I would trust.
ps
short of trashing reputations, Albo and labor is rooted.
wam:
“certainly preselection stress”
Of course, you have solid evidence to back this up, because you wouldn’t say something like that publicly without evidence, would you?
Labor is, was and will be guilty of this one..
Albanese better sort it out this week by being honest
or it’s another 3 years of rape , pillage and burn.
Thanks for the note, leafe, As a personal observer on political stress, I was a spouse lobbyist in politics for over 20 years, including 5 elections.
But my main source on Kimberley was little billy.himself. His opinion, of the intensity of her stress levels, was backed by the ABC, the Australian and, I have no doubt, anyone who has been involved in political preselection or preference dealing.
To add to her stress, kimberley projected an image that was not of the labor party, making her unlikely to be afforded any support from those who considered activities, like ‘wolverines’, made her commitment to labor suspect.
Apparently those saying that Kimberley had a heart attack brought on by bullying, also believe that leaking ALP policy discussions to the LNP should be rewarded with a garrentee of preselection.
Credible reports are also stating that Kimberley was thick with the Right Faction of the ALP who are more interested in their tunnel vision centerist policies than actually winning the election.
Apparently Kimberley played politics within the ALP and therefore would have expected push back from the ALP leadership, should have expected colleagues to disagree.
Any stress for her political gamesmanship is clearly down to her own behaviours.
Now let’s be real here, at 52, not particularly fit, and and in a high stress job is a clearly dangerous situation for anyone in the heart attack zone.
As for the hypocrisy of the LNP, and the shear gaul of these nasty, bullying sycophants in the media – words fail me !