Tony Abbott’s problem with the truth
Image courtesy of smh.com.au
People lie for a number of reasons: sometimes it is accidental that through the person’s own ignorance, statements are made which gives the appearance of being deliberate; the aim being to deceive. However, and of course, all is forgiven because it is abundantly clear to the reader/listener that the “lie” was purely accidental and its consequences unintended.
People also lie as a defence mechanism, that via that person’s emotional and mental immaturity they are incapable of providing an honest answer, but must resort to a simplistic lie. Ego also comes into play with the person incapable of accepting responsibility for the fact that they have made a mistake.
Revenge is also a motivator for lying.
However, with the exception of revenge, such behaviour can fall within the confines of what is considered normal. It is not a pattern of behaviour but something which occurs in response to exceptional circumstances. The abnormal is when lies are told by a person with a personality disorder, and an example is morbid narcissistic complex disorder whose traits include:
A sense of entitlement – an unrealistic, unmerited or inappropriate expectation of favorable treatment or conditions. Good examples in Tony Abbott’s case being; “I was robbed of becoming Prime Minister”. “It’s all the Independents’ fault”. “I want another election, and I want it now!” Ad nauseum.
Blaming – the practice of identifying a person or people responsible for creating a problem, rather than identifying ways of dealing with the problem. I have never known of Tony Abbott to do other than blame the person, using even formal occasions as an opportunity to attack others.
Impulsiveness – the tendency to act or speak based on current feelings rather than logical reasoning. This is known in some circles as Abbott “brain farts”.
Lack of conscience – individuals who suffer from Personality Disorders are often preoccupied with their own agendas, sometimes to the exclusion of the needs and concerns of others. This is sometimes interpreted by others as a lack of moral conscience. Turning to Tony Abbott, does he even recognise the hypocrisy of his alleged rorting of the travel allowance scheme, yet all the while expecting low paid child care workers to return money already paid to them?
Pathological Lying – persistent deception by an individual to serve their own interests and needs with little or no regard to the needs and concerns of others. A pathological liar is a person who habitually lies to serve their own needs.
Consider that in 2010 Tony Abbott said, “The statements that need to be taken absolutely as gospel truth are those carefully prepared, scripted remarks”. This was quite an extraordinary admission from Tony Abbott who was promptly dubbed “Phoney Tony”.
It is not the exaggerations which although not entirely acceptable, come under the general heading of “what else do you expect from a politician”, but rather the instances where Mr Abbott seems completely oblivious to the fact that he is telling an untruth.
Examples of Tony Abbott’s failure to be able to address the truth are numerous and no doubt inspired by any of the motivators provided above. Here are but a few of the much publicised instances which come to mind:
The Indonesian government consistently told both Tony Abbott and Julie Bishop that should the Coalition be elected and if they persisted with their Turn Back The Boats policy, that they, the Indonesian government would find this unacceptable. Abbott went to the election promising the authenticity of his statements and with the blatant lie that he had the full support of the Indonesia government.
In August 2012 Laurie Oakes wrote:
Abbott’s own truthfulness came under the microscope, however, after a blundering performance in an interview on ABC TV’s 7.30 program on Wednesday evening.
Earlier that day he had claimed BHP’s decision to put the Olympic Dam mining project in South Australia on hold was partly due to the Federal Government’s carbon and mining taxes.
That was porkie number one. BHP CEO Marius Kloppers had blamed such factors as the eurozone financial crisis, the slowdown of growth in China and weakness in commodity markets.
And:
When Abbott stuck to his claim despite what Kloppers had said, interviewer Leigh Sales asked: “Have you actually read BHP’s statements?”
Abbott replied: “No.” The next day he claimed he had read the BHP announcement after all – soon after it was made.
He attributed the damaging answer in the 7.30 interview to a misunderstanding of what Sales had asked him. But her meaning could hardly have been clearer.
Just in case there was any doubt, she had gone on to say in her next question: “You haven’t read their statements today but you’re commenting about what they’ve announced.”
The conclusion is inescapable that, in trying to explain away a dreadful gaffe, Abbott resorted to another falsehood.
Tony Abbott lies about the impact of the Carbon Price on a new car:
During a doorstop interview in Geelong on April 11, 2013, Tony Abbott claimed:
First and foremost we are not going to hit the motor industry with a carbon tax and the carbon tax is adding $400 to the cost of every car manufactured in Australia.
Where was the evidence that the carbon tax added $400 to the cost of the car? And if the carbon tax was such a killer, why is he not blaming it as one of the reasons behind Holden’s closure?
Tony Abbott lies on Radio about not doing deals:
On February 20, 2013, Tony Abbott was interviewed by Neil Mitchell in the studio of 3AW.
Neil Mitchell: Will you talk to the Greens about cooperating with you?
Tony Abbott: Look, I think that’s been part of Julia Gillard’s problem. She embraced the Greens. This turned out to be a fatal embrace and I don’t do these sorts of deals with people. I mean, I wasn’t prepared to give the independents, I wasn’t prepared to give the Greens what they wanted. Julia Gillard was and I think her government, from the beginning, has been fatally compromised.
Neil Mitchell: So no deals to get into power?
Tony Abbott: I don’t do deals, Neil.
Neil Mitchell: You tried to.
Wednesday, 11th December 2013:
Holden did not make a bid to replace Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s “C1” car and the existing eight-year-old fleet of nine armour-plate caprices for the government, The Daily Telegraph reported. According to the report, it was only Audi and Mercedes and two other car companies with submitted bids.
Holden angered by media reports it did not submit bid to supply ‘blast-proof’ vehicles for Australian government VIPs.
The revelation appears to contradict reported Abbott government sources as saying Holden had not even submitted a bid in the tender because the car maker simply ”was not interested”.
These extraordinary events give every indication the government pursued a vendetta against Holden
Kim Carr
Holden viewed that claim – which appeared in a News Corporation newspaper on Wednesday, just hours before the car maker announced its withdrawal – as part of a deliberate negative backgrounding campaign by Coalition ministers designed to make the company look uncommitted to Australia.
Tony Abbott will continue to say anything and do anything regardless of whether he believes his statements to be true or not. Why in this instance did Tony Abbott simply not tell the truth, that BMW were given the tender as the Holden model was not up to the standard expected, and for security reasons? As reported by news.com:
The only options of a semi-local built car was believed to be a newer version of the retrofitted Holden Caprice offered by British Aerospace at a cost of $800,000 each, or a “ground up” model based on a Holden chassis, which cost $1.2 million for just one vehicle.
However, neither option is believed to have been able to meet international standards for protection against attacks.
The Federal Government is now expected to sign a contract to buy cheaper, off-the shelf BMW High Security 7-series vehicles, at a cost of $525,000 each, which meet higher international standards of protection against ballistic and gas attacks – and which can be serviced in Australia.
When lying becomes a compulsion (and a pointless exercise) one must consider that the person should not be in any position of authority or where they might do harm to others. A compulsive liar is defined as someone who lies out of habit who will bend the truth about everything large and small. For the compulsive liar, telling the truth feels awkward and uncomfortable while lying sits well, giving the person a sense of empowerment and confidence. Often when confronted with the absolute necessity to tell the truth, the person will enter into a state of panic, perhaps unable to speak, or physically fleeing.
Does this perhaps offer us an insight into Tony Abbott’s problem with the truth?
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And lets not forget when former Prime Minister Julia Gillard fired her arrow with "Poodles" written large on it, how it accurately struck the target and the apoplexy has not ceased since.
Poor old "Poodles" Pyne knows his own limitations and will be forever yapping around the legs of his lying master.
There is also the recent deal done with the Greens to raise the debt ceiling, and this from He-who-does-not-do-deals Abbott.
Reblogged this on staffordhall.
Why is it so? One possibility (the one I favour) is that religious people outsource their morality. Their moral commitment does not come from within and is therefore perfectly malleable on grounds that a larger issue is involved…that is, the transcendent righteousness of their cause. This was a feature of the Rudd personality as I discovered subsequent to my authorised biography of the man. It’s true in spades of Abbott and I do worry about all those committed Catholics on the Liberal front bench.
Robert, re “the righteousness of their cause” as long as the end result is for the betterment of society. I cannot see such motivation in Tony Abbott. Perhaps Catholicism, but perhaps a child brought up to believe in their own perfection, and nothing could be more “perfect” in some conservative Catholic households than to have a son who is a priest. Having failed in that regard, Abbott believed that his superiority could only be reflected in himself obtaining the highest secular post in the land.
I’ve always assumed you need a certain level on narcissism to think you can run a country.
But yes Abbott is text book. Very similar to Rudd, Rudd just lost his temper quicker and maybe had a sliver of empathy. maybe.
Alas, Abbott is surrounded by some major enablers.
It’s going to be a long, expensive, perhaps even take an uprising to remove this imbecile from power.
Rarely does Abbot open his mouth without lying, or twisting the truth significantly.
Just re-reading a Terry Pratchett novel where he says [and I paraphrase]: any thug can get power, it’s who has control that should worry us. Thug Abbott and his henchpersons have the power, and that’s bad enough, but Rupert and Gina et al are the real destroyers. Please Santa, can we have a double dissolution for Xmas?
One of the reasons this makes my skin crawl so much is reflecting on the beating Gillard received for the “Carbon Tax Lie.” Not a day did pass when it wasn’t raised or her credibility questioned. Juliar became her nickname and the Opposition used it as their trump card. Now we see Abbott, possibly the world’s biggest hypocrite, backflipping and lying at a great rate of knots. It makes me sick. He is a bully and not fit to lead the country.
Brilliantly written article. Well done
I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t good.
Thank you aussiedrew and John.
Its the one thing this Govt is good at… lying!
The best I have read in a long time!
Great and truthful read Carol, thank you. I just wished it was a lie – what you wrote about the one who thinks he governs this country, then i would not feel so miserable about all the stuff ups and damage this person is creating in OUR name, for goodness’ sake. Wish the church would ask him back to complete his studies for the priesthood so they can deal with him. On the other hand i would not wish him on any diocese either. Where are Margie and his three virgins? Can’t they keep him on a leash? Or are they of the same ilk?
Abbott is a professional liar. The truth is not a commodity in which he has any interest. The truth can be uncomfortable. It’s inconvenient. It forces you to think of things like consequences, justice and forbearance. God forbid. When you wish to shape the world in the shape of your own belief, truth has no place. No place at all.
Reblogged this on Axeman's Ramblings… and commented:
My thoughts exactly…
Abbott is completely conscious he is lying, but in his mind that is acceptable because all that matters in the end goal – to win.
The hyper-competitive urge to win – to win at all costs – to even resort to lying, cheating or stealing is ingrained in his sociological disorder, almost akin to a drug addiction.
And just like a addict – all else is unimportant, everyone and everything between him and his next taste is secondary, to be cast aside as he seeks to fill his disturbed need.
And to make it worse, he is entrenched in a culture where his addiction and disorder is not only tolerated, it is actively encouraged by his equally deranged and drug-addled colleagues and ably supported by his drug-suppliers of choice (Murdoch, Rinehart, Jones, Bolt, et al).
Frightening to say the least, that a man of such low moral standards is able to reach a position where he is able to radically alter the very fabric and dynamic of our nation, and all to fulfil his own personal addiction to win.
The only time the Rabbid one is not lying is when he is waffling. The indication is that he is a completely empty vessel. Whenever he has to answer a question any direct answer is a lie or spin if the answer is not direct the we have a fluffy generalisation. IMO this purely because there has not been any serious consideration given to any issue. They are partying on in the intoxicating atmosphere of power and completely missed the concept of responsibility. Just like children in a lolly shop, but with mums credit card.
I always go back to the words of someone who knows Tony very well:
“We have an Opposition Leader who has in the space of a few months held every possible position on the issue, each one contradicting the position he expressed earlier.
…..we are now without integrity. We have given our opponents the irrefutable, undeniable evidence that we cannot be trusted.”
– Malcolm Turnbull
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/abbotts-climate-change-policy-is-bullshit-20091207-kdmb.html#ixzz2nJneYjoo
It is truly terrifying to contemplate the destruction this person can inflict on Australia and it’s inhabitants over a period of three years, Abbott has been in the job for a mere 3 months, and the trail of blunders, disasters and embarrassing blunders he has inflicted, not just here, but globally, is mind boggling. I just feel sick every time I recall the situation the electorate has put this country in, and I feel extremely apprehensive when contemplating the train wreck this country will end up under Abbott’s rule! It is cold comfort to say that I didn’t vote for him, because we will all suffer the consequences of this thug and liar being elected PM.
And then there are the people who actually believe Abbott/ Even when faced with the evidence of his lies, he can do no wrong. These people simply see what they want to see. I’m not talking about his far right buddies, but people he is actually hurting. I’m astounded that he can lie and get away with it after his long, long exercise of stamping Julia Gillard as a liar. Pure hypocrisy.
Min, thanks for a fine Piece 😎 and well said 😀
Yes, and his self justifying thought processes were in full view, when he tried to blame us and the media for misunderstanding what he said, or engaging in wishful thinking… WTF?
The man (?) is definitely a few snags short of a BBQ 😯
Keep up the good work 😀
Cheers 😀
This is the man who said “I will do whatever it takes” in another context, but I think that comment could be broadened to “I will say whatever it takes.”
Yes Abbott has gotten away with & profited from lying his entire life. I’ll bet he even pointed the finger of blame at his younger sisters when he got into mischief as a child.
Just a point, Carol, the problem of using New Corpse as a “reliable” source is fraught with danger. It turns out that the BAE-Holden bid for the blast-proof VIP cars was, in fact, the successful bidder chosen by the Attorney General’s office. BMW didn’t even reach the top four which makes it very strange as to why it has suddenly been given the contract. These thing take time. The four in the top shortlist were BAE_Holden, Audi, Mercedes Benz & another from Holden. GM-H is naturally livid that they have been depicted as not having shown any interest in this bidding.
Here is the link to the relevant SMH article. http://bit.ly/1kEDRPk
I wonder if the BMW decision has anything to do with the fact his daughter was the brand ambassador for BMW at last years Sydney Racing Carnival..?
There always seems to be a link in everything they do.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/tony-abbotts-daughter-bridget-races-into-post-as-brand-ambassador-for-bmw-sydney-carnival/story-e6freuzi-1226299318906
Hopefully when they are done paying back their political favours they’ll transition from Opposition mode to Government mode, but I won’t be holding my breath.
Unfortunatley for Australia. Tony Abbott and Liberals could not lie straight in bed. Very scary for what is to come…Great Article though. Many Thanks…
Kaye Lee @1.35pm..ah the good old days, when Malcolm Turnbull still had some integrity.
TS, there are many WTF moments with Abbott..logical and reasoned thinking seem to evaporate. Plus imagine the effort that the Murdoch media went to in order to cover it all up. That which should have been “a joke” instead became the great Australian hero. A hero who incidentally has enjoyed the shortest honeymoon of any Australian Prime Minister. Fairfax at least is out with all guns blazing.
When climate change was real, the NBN was a good investment, and when you signed off on a deal you followed through with it….yes those were the days
How many times do Australians have to be conned before the penny drops?
Coalition MPs lack co-ordination between ‘THOUGHT, WORD and DEED’.
They never SAY what they MEAN or DO what they SAY?
Good stuff; another nail in the Liarbril coffin.
What I’m finding interesting is the genuine tenor of criticism of this rabble and of their complete lack of vision (that they’ll publicise) for this country. The sycophantic msm too, are looking more silly by the minute attempting to prop up these incompetent IPA spruikers as the gap between their copy and reality becomes wider.
It has been proven to me through time that a liar is usually a thief,and abbott fits the bill.He has taken the role of Robin Hood in reverse.And there is no way he would have got the job he craved by telling the truth.Like some one said earlier abbott would have done anything to be PM,and he did.Now he is in the position to rob the working class and line the pockets of the people that put him there.
I felt like crying when I read your article ……so true but the rich put him there to line their own pockets….what chance did the working class have…maybe…just maybe the people will wake up…..he only wanted holden out because he did not want to support them but he will have to support the workers ……where is the difference…all the families will have to go to centrelink and get help how much does he think that will cost the tax payers……and labor will not be given a fair go in parliament to voice the opinion of the workers with that disgusting Bronwyn bishop sitting on HER throne……..I am ashamed to say that I am a catholic when I see the so called catholics behaving like dictators…..
I told an lie once. It became an enormous lie, I told the lie, because I hoped, and wanted it to be true, or in time to become true. I thought that if I wanted something badly enough it would become true,and everything would be fine. in the meantime to maintain the fiction, the lie became more and more elaborate.
It did not, and in the process, I hurt many people. Of course, the lie became too big to maintain, and I had to confess that I was telling a lie.
The resultant confession, and it’s effect was devastating for me and for everyone else. I learned a hard and difficult lesson
The Abbott government will go the same way. Eventually the big lie will become too big, it will take on a life of it’s own, The effects will be devastating too, for them and the people of Australia. Maybe forgiveness will come, maybe it won’t. But it will not be pleasant. For anyone.
Carol, that was a brave article which will, hopefully, open up a lot of discussion about Tony Abbott’s mental state and his fitness for public office. The most frustrating thing about all this is the fact that a percentage of people can see the dangers and failings of a personality like Tony Abbott (including Malcolm Fraser). But there is a whole landscape of people and commentators (the MSM including the ABC) who are totally blind to the seriousness and the consequences of having a Prime Minister with such a defective personality.
For the past few years the media has followed, interviewed and commented on Tony Abbott as if he was an ordinary person, with no perception whatsoever of his flawed and dangerous personality. There was never any suggestion from the MSM that Australia’s future PM might be an odd-ball and a dangerous odd-ball at that. So the caravan of media coverage of political events played a game of destroying a legitimate government only to be replaced by a leader with a defective personality. I couldn’t believe it was happening at the time and I still can’t believe it has actually happened. The question still remains in my mind – what was it, exactly, that the MSM could NOT see about this man’s defective behaviour and personality. The journalists and commentators that we read, see and hear every day in this country are educated, intelligent and supposedly experienced people. What was it they could NOT see about this potential prime minister. Even today there are only a handful of journalists who seemed to be ‘enlightened’ about the type of prime minister this country has ended up with. Even today, there are still very few journalists who are beginning to grasp what has happened but most are still reporting events as if they are just everyday happenings with a touch of humour…
One can only conclude that these journalists are seeing the world through a ‘veil of illusion’. They are simply not seeing the ‘true reality’.
And there are other people in the government who happily attach themselves to such a defective personality and pursue, not the same game exactly, but their own version of a similar delusion. So now we have a whole bunch of defective personalities running the country. I have said before, the MSM are the key to exposing this fraudulent government but until they push aside the ‘veil of illusion’ and start seeing the ‘true reality’ this crazy story will continue… So frustrating!
Abbott is incapable of truthfulness.
Joe, I did write this out of concern for the country, and to perhaps enable a little understanding of why Abbott behaves as he does. Most people scratch their heads at times trying to make sense of what he says. You are exactly right, the media have tried to treat Abbott as if he was a normal person. For example the weird “brain f*rts” became “clever politics”, likewise the contradictions, the lies which were not backed up by logical thought processes. An example might be Abbott’s incessant demands for another election. Clever politics or a person not in touch with reality?
Michael G, I think that we are seeing this in the polls with his government’s approval down to the lowest of any new government. Abbott recently stated that nothing that he is doing was not put to the public before the election. And this is true in a way, he did say how many people he intended to sack, he did say that he was going to cancel the school kids bonus. However, a problem is that the media failed to report on any of this in any sort of meaningful way, and especially failed to report on consequences.
I think it must have been obvious to all those who comment that he was an habitual liar and incapable of telling the truth. Unfortunately the MSM did not report his policies or costings or those of the bumbling bafoon known as the so-called treasurer. Some of the nominated front bench actually looked plausible, but the knowledge that the MAD MONK was such a fraud and a liar, something that the MSM (read as Rupert Murdoch) failed to tell the public. The good old gullible public who unceremoniously believed the lies that were printed and actually thought that THEY were going to receive some benefits. Let us just hope that 3 years passes quickly and that with the help of the senate we are able to restrict the damage that this prick (imbecile) can inflict on the rest of us, before he is removed from office.
Some very inconvenient facts for those who believes the sun shines out of every thing Liberal.
http://northcoastvoices.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/the-lies-abbott-tells-part-six.html
Part of their Neofascist agenda is to TELL LIES. There have been so many!!!!!
Commonly held views about what is right and wrong “morality” DOES not enter into their agenda.
All that matter to them is to do exactly WHATEVER they want without having to hold to ANY STANDARDS either moral or in terms of FACTS.
FOR THEM FACTS do not exist. IT is whatever they decide to MAKE UP for their OWN PURPOSE AND AGENDA.
THEY HAVE no interest in the electorate or the AUSTRALIAN people NOW that they are in power.
ALL THAT matters is that they SLIP THROUGH the AGENDAS that they have PROMISED TO CORPORATE GREED LIKE MURDOCH, the miners and THEIR MATES.
PROPAGANDA EXISTS to TELL MORE LIES TO ERASE THE PREVIOUS LIES THAT HAVE BEEN TOLD FROM MEMORY.
With many other examples in posts above and Gail T perfect clarity It’s clear Abbott is an anti-social psychopath.Probably caught between the first and second stages of development,He obviously
didn’t make it to stage three,hence no conscience.I knew I’d get it sooner or later.These people can
be dangerous if they are sure they will get away with it.
Morrison is same ilk.He enjoys being the Commander-in-Chief of concentration camps,he is a sadist
and at the same time tell you how is actually helping them.He enjoys watching people go mad.And
suffer in sweat boxes.
I can’t believe that a person who is a Rhodes scholar, Bachelor of Laws etc uses such simple words such as ” a great big’ instead of enormous, huge, gigantic etc. This is but one example of his use of English like a 10 year old. It is disturbing when this coming out of the mouth of a Prime Minister. Does he think this makes him more attractive to the “common man”?
It’s a good thing that Tony Abbott is an expert bicycle rider. This means he is easily able to backpedal when the need arises.
Thanks for the articles. I appreciate the great work. I would love to have a three column list of the Abbott govt. lies and misleads.
Column 1 The Lie. column 2 The truth. Column 3 Fact check or source of truth.
Can anyone help?
I know it’s cheap,but must say it anyway,Can’t let the truth get in the way of a good story,now can we.
Did anyone recognise the wording when releasing details of the royal commision into the unions?
Shine the light…corruption..culture of cover-up….spotlight on dark corners…fear of intimidation..
all taken from Faifax’s Newcastle Herald, and Julia Gillards Royal Commission into abuse, the audacity of that woman.
And he’s taking on a little of Paul Keating as well, not only does he find it hard to tell the triuth, he can’t think for himself either.
I wonder what faceless men/man he’s being advised by.
I recently read a book which discusses psycopaths in society, notably in business and the damage they do. The book is called Snakes in Suits and anyone seeking a description of Tony Abbott`s personality and behavior need look no further.. The authors warn that a full diagnosis can only be performed by a trained professional which I am not. But at the same time I personally believe that he ticks every box in the book`s description of a psycopath. As Paul Keating once said if Tony Abbott ever becomes PM “God Help Australia”.
What is it with our nation that we seem incapable of finding and electing decent, dignified, truthful and honourable individuals into Government?
Where are the leaders that Australia (and other nations) can actually look up to and honestly feel a deep sense of respect towards, irrespective of which side of the political coin one stands upon?
Are the likes of Abbott and Gillard all that’s left to offer? Must we always have to scrape a rusty barrel of dregs and come up with embarrassments?
Sadly our country is the hands of psychopaths. God help us.