What beat up?
Andrew Bolt is not happy.
Not only is social media attacking his pin-up boy, the newly elected Prime Minister (over a dozen justifiable issues) but there is now, in Andrew’s words:
… this beat up over Abbott’s expenses …
Andrew has mellowed. He never used to tolerate misuse of taxpayer’s money. Last year he asked Peter Slipper to justify the reason why he had billed the poor tax-payers for cab fares amounting to a few cents over $80. He aired this request publicly, devoting a whole article:
In February, I asked Peter Slipper to explain these taxi fares he charged to taxpayers.
And he also asked:
… where was Finance Minister Penny Wong in this, with so many people raising concerns over this spending of our money? What happened to the investigation by Special Minister of State Gary Gray? Who was minding the till?
Wow, I’m glad you’ve mellowed on matters pertaining to the public purse, Andrew. I’d hate to think how you’d attack Tony Abbott if you hadn’t.
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Return to home pageThe hypocrisy just knows no bounds.
I’m going to love seeing Andrew put a populist spin on Tony’s entitlement extravagance. They’re both such men of the people
Birds of a feather stick together being strangers to the truth. Mixed metaphors a bit like Abbots turn back the boats policy.
I liked The Herald-Sun website with a photo of Bolt with the line: “Abbott’s Not The Deranged One”. Irony unintended? Or subversive sub-editor?
If Abbott said an obvious blue sky was yellow then Bolt would totally agree – if he changed & said “no, I think it’s pink”, then Bolt would run after him saying ‘I think you’re right my idol – yes I can see a pink sky the same as you”!!!!!!!!!!!
Abbott is a parasite who has been sponging from the tax payer since he entered politics.And then turns into a venomous snake,as in what they are doing to P Slipper and C Thomson.
one might be tempted to say he has shot his bolt over that. But the again these types of thugs have always ,since the start of time, clung together. They need to as by themselves in the cold light of day they are suddenly seen for the cowardly bullies that they are.
Bolt has a proven track record of irrelevance.
a rort is a rort is a rort Mr Bolt whether done by a slipper or a rabbit.But there’s nothing worse than when a Rorter uses “Charity” to facilitate his rorts like Abbott has done..Apart from his sanctimonious rants about others rorting the system, that is the lowest of the low..And you have helped elect such a rorter? Poor bugger my country…
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has found himself in the eye of an expense scandal storm after it emerged his trip to the 2012 Country Music Festival was anything but “free” for taxpayers.
The then-Opposition leader claimed $9347 in work expenses for the whirlwind visit – despite not even staying in the city overnight.
The parliamentary entitlements register shows taxpayers forked out $8800 for a private return charter flight for Mr Abbott from Sydney to Tamworth on January 25, 2012.
http://www.northerndailyleader.com.au/story/1828922/free-reign-pm-tony-abbott-under-fire-for-tamworth-festival-trip-as-expense-scandal-deepens/?cs=159
Mr Abbott has been criticised for claiming more than $23,000 on trips linked to last year’s Coffs Coast Cycle Challenge, the 2011 Bathurst V8 Supercar race, 2010 Melbourne Cup, 2010 Boxing Day Test match at the MCG, and 2011 Birdsville Races.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-rejects-calls-for-reform-of-mp-expenses-20131010-2vagx.html#ixzz2hJRK8Fad
CHRISTOPHER PYNE: We know that Tony Abbott works in Indigenous communities at least a week or two a year, and he has said that if he is elected Prime Minister that he will continue to do that and that he will take senior bureaucrats with him. He has done that in Cape York…
In August of 2012 Tony Abbott did indeed go to Cape York, but it wasn’t for a week or two as Mr Pyne suggests. It was for 2 days! Photos of Abbott with tools in hand were taken and the myth of Abbott the saviour of the Black man had a wonderful photo op. An amount of $9,636.36 was paid in tax payer dollars to fund the hire of a private charter flight for the 2 days. On another one of his trips to an Indigenous Community Mr Abbott was off to sell his version of the Wild Rivers Legislation to the traditional owners it would impact. That trip that cost we the tax payer $32,545.00 in flights alone, was for just one night!
just a drip from the bucket of scum that is the far right of the Liberal Party.
Why would Andrew ever be happy? He has to wake up every morning knowing that he’s Andrew Bolt. How would that not depress a person?
But can he be sure? After all, the Bolta lives in a parallel universe.
While we all construct our own reality, some of us do so on the basis of ‘evidence’, while acknowledging that our ‘views’ of same are always tempered by history, culture, and the like.
Whilst “Rabbott” rorts the public purse Bolt “the Dolt” obfuscates reality.
Why Peter Slipper’s FRAUD is nothing like the expenses currently in the news: “Slipper has been charged with three counts under the ‘’general dishonesty’’ provisions of the Criminal Code Act….
The AFP’s statement of facts, which went to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, spells out the allegations against the former speaker in detail.
The first vineyard excursion was … from Parliament House to wineries in Murrumbateman. First stop was Doonkuna Winery for about 17 minutes, then to Clonakilla (12 minutes), Yass Valley Wines (19 minutes), Shaw Estate (16 minutes), then to Poachers Pantry (a felicitous choice) before arriving at Gallagher Wines for 27 minutes.
The trip had taken four and a half hours by the time the party arrived back in Canberra. At $75 an hour for the hire car, the total bill came to a little more than $337.
The federal police claim that Slipper then asked the driver: ‘’Could we process this manually and break up the payment, putting it down as suburb to suburb, so it’s processed easier?’’…
Even though the car had eftpos facilities, four Cabcharge vouchers were manually processed…. They were broken up as $87 from Parliament House to suburbs; $80 from suburbs to Parliament House; $75 from suburbs to suburbs; and $95 from suburbs to suburbs.
The Commonwealth says that breaking up the total travel cost in that way, using the manual system of payment processing and describing the trips as to and from suburban destinations, shows Slipper was trying to hide his misuse of his cabcharge.
He must therefore, it says, have had the requisite knowledge or belief of his alleged wrongdoing.”
It’s alright when we do it, but not when our opponents do it.
It seems to me that most of the Abbott expenses were incurred for the purposes of promoting the Liberal Party and should be paid for by the Liberal Party. Things do change when you become Prime Minister but, as opposition leader you are not representing the nation.
Similarly, Labor parliamentarians returning to Canberra for the caucus vote on leadership is very much a party matter and I would not expect the taxpayer to pick up the travel expenses.
As I’ve pointed out elsewhere, Peter Slipper was a Liberal MP when he committed the alleged rortting, so the truly dodgy claims seem to all one side of politics. When the media have jumped on Labor members it’s been about an individual mistake, rather than a series of claims for book tours or “volunteer” work that costs the taxpayer more than if they’d paid someone for a week to do the same job.
James, I’m not saying that Slipper shouldn’t be held accountable. If he deliberately misused public money then he should face the consequences.
But so should Abbott.
James at a very long stretch you maybe able to argue that Abbott was claiming expenses because of grey areas, even taking into account he has said that if you’re uncertain err on the side of caution, which he’s never done, yet again demonstrating his double standards in most things.
I would argue that many of the things he claimed for, like his personal participation in sporting events, are not grey areas at all, and Abbott has indirectly confirmed this yesterday when he said he’s not going to tighten the rules because he doesn’t want his ministers tied to a desk.
But the one thing cannot be argued in Abbott’s rorting is his misuse of Comcars for private travel. The guidelines for their use are tight with little ambiguity. That use should be referred to the AFP and Abbott should stand down.
Actually he should stand down for being an embarrassment to the nation on the world stage, but there are no rules for sacking a PM who’s a fool except if the party no longer can tolerate them or when there’s an election.
Terry2,
Such travel is specifically included in the rules – see clauses e & f below:
http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2013C00837/Html/Text#_Toc363731568
These people have a clear and sickening bias. I’m not sure they are even aware of it – which is very dangerous.
why give bolt publicity…..maybe he is so ugly that he is projecting his own rorts to cover his own sins conscience maybe
The Dutch Prick has spoken. He’s taken his mouth away from Abbott’s arse, drawn breath and spoken!!!!
And Chrissy Pyne has also spoken….he has taken his mouth from Bolt’s arse and spoken too!!!!!
Abbott sucking Murdoch’s arse, Bolt sucking Abbott’s arse, Pyne latched on to Bolt’s arse….get the picture?
Abbott is in strife regardless of the outcome here. If he pays back the money he’s admitting guilt. If he stands by his expense claims, he’s showing disregard for spending taxpayers’ money. Let’s see how they eventually spin their way out of it. Bolt is clearly lending a hand.
@ Geoff – a scaled down version of Latham’s “conga line of suckholes” – pure gold!
Ray Of Light – Fair Work Commission seeks to settle its civil case against Craig Thomson
http://wixxyleaks.com/
Do you think he realises his hypocrisy? Or is it too hard to see with his head so far up his own arse?
They don’t like it when their own crap comes back to bite ’em on the arse! I’m loving it!!!!!!