Why do they call me ‘honourable’ when I’m so obnoxious?
Thursday July 5 2018
The Honourable David Leyonhjelm is a member of that august chamber known as the Australian Senate, or the Upper House. Once upon a time it was little heard of and went about its business of reviewing the legislation of the Lower House, the House of Representatives, in an orderly fashion, suggesting amendments where it felt they were warranted and appropriate.
Occasionally individuals like the Tasmanian Senator Brian Harradine did deals. Or parties like the Greens or the Australian Democrats passed legislation with conditions attached, but it all seemed to be orderly and debated with a dose of decorum always respecting a mandate if it was legitimate.
Until recently it was a chamber of dignity, formality and solemnity where one struggled to recall the names of its members so unobtrusive was its work.
Somewhere along the way all the dignity of the august chamber seemed to vanish. The once displayed politeness and respect for fellow Senators, regardless of persuasion was replaced with the vulgarity and crudeness of the David Leyonhjelms of society.
He was one of those dregs of society who somehow weaselled their way into this once well-mannered chamber with so few votes as to fill an eggcup.
It is highly unlikely that a more characterless person has ever been elected to the Senate. The slime from which Leyonhjelm comes has no likeness for the apology when wrong, choosing instead to throw more abuse at his opponent.
By his very nature he genuinely believes that he should, under his version of free speech, be able to call you what he likes and if you take offence then it’s entirely your problem.
An observation
The contention that everyone has recourse to bigotry and hate speech is a nonsense.
The ongoing saga over his remarks about fellow senator Sarah Hanson-Young are rightly being condemned for what they are and by most men of respectability. Those who support his gutter smear tactics are of the conservative ilk that finds abuse normal to them.
He has been asked to apologise from the Prime Minister downwards but shows no signs of doing so. It is now over a week since Senator Leyonhjelm told Senator Hanson-Young to “stop shagging men” during a debate about violence against women.
His sole achievement has been to highlight his own character and some men in the Australian Parliament who are nothing more than cowardly grubs with misogynistic personalities.
If you look at some of the personality traits of men in our two houses you will see dreadful liars and insipid personalities. Something that as a nation we should be ashamed of. We need men and women of character and trustworthiness able to debate the most complex questions without resorting to the depths of uncouth spitefulness that Leyonhjelm does.
Both of our Houses of Parliament have descended into the swamp that Trump talks about and is responsible for. Our swamp, like theirs needs draining of those who would run around “slut shaming” and acting like Incubus voyeurs persistently observing sex, misery or scandal.
The Parliament is full of witless people like Leyonhjelm who are completely devoid of wit, humour, words of intelligence with the eloquence and debating skills to give them meaning.
Mostly our two houses embrace a maleness that believes in conflict as a means of political supremacy over and above the pursuit of excellence in argument.
The support Leyonhjelm got on Sky News on Sunday from the unmemorable Rowan Dean and former parliamentarian Ross Cameron, saying she was “well known for liking men,” and even falsely naming someone she was supposed to have slept with was regrettable.
Sarah Hanson-Young has every right to pursue this crass uncouth vile human being who is totality unfit for public office.
Why do we address this man as honorable when his only interest is in enshrining his attitude towards women and other matters as just free speech and enshrine it in law?
Minister for Women Kelly O’Dwyer added her voice to the calls for Senator Leyonhjelm to apologise, telling Fairfax Media: “People have a right to be treated with dignity and respect in their workplaces. An apology is clearly in order for the comments made.”
People like Leyonhjelm,the pedlars of verbal violence and dishonesty are the most vigorous defenders of free speech because their warped minds think it somehow gives their vitriolic nonsense legitimacy.
Women of Australia please stand united against these cowards who so mistakenly believe they are men.
My thought for the day
At some time in the human narrative … in our history, man declared himself superior to women. It must have been an accident, or at least an act of gross stupidity. But that’s men for you.
43 comments
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John O'Callaghan
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Kaye Lee
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Carol Taylor
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helvityni
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Michael Brooke
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Jaquix
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Harry.V.Dirchy
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johno
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helvityni
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Kaye Lee
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Carol Taylor
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wam
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Kaye Lee
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Josephus
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paul walter
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paul walter
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paul walter
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helvityni
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Terence Mills
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paul walter
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jimhaz
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paul walter
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Kaye Lee
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diannaart
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Kaye Lee
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Max Gross
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paul walter
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economicreform
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paul walter
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paul walter
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paul walter
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diannaart
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Frank Smith
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Matters Not
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Egalitarian
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Steve Williams
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roaminruin
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helvityni
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Zathras
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helvityni
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helvityni
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Michael Taylor
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paul walter
Return to home pageI would’nt be picking O’Dwyer out as a staunch defender of women, she joined in with the rest of them to help slur Gillard back when,and got up in Parl one day and screamed over at Gillard and called them the “handbag hit squad”.
I liked your article, i just did’nt like your choice in O’Dwyer!
Oh dear Kelly. I recall your comments about Michaelia Cash when she slut-shamed the women in Bill Shorten’s office.
Ms O’Dwyer today told the National Press Club in Canberra the Cash comments had been regrettable and had been withdrawn.
“But I really think that we need to move on now. I don’t think she’s the first person in Parliament to have made a comment that they regret.”
Asked if she also should have said “sorry”, the minister said that wasn’t how it was done in politics.
https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/womens-minister-kelly-odwyer-defends-michaelia-cash-in-national-press-club-address/news-story/ff39e058bd29ad47d57a209b5665ceda
Indeed, O’Dwyer has declared a feminist but supports only ‘a certain type’ of women, those who we could describe as Tony Abbott’s ‘women of calibre’, and only Liberal ones at that.
From Canberra.net: “She (O’Dwyer) accused Julia Gillard of playing the “gender card” in her misogyny speech. It arguably suited O’Dwyer to do so for political gain – just like it suits her to declare herself a feminist now.”.
O’Dwyer’s job is to try to attract younger female voters to the Liberal Party, lost in vast numbers during the Abbott years, Her voting habits reveal her true lack of concern for any woman who isn’t ‘corporate’ and white.
There were no right-wing ‘ feminists’ to come to Julia Gillard’s rescue when she was under the ugly Abbott attack…
And today the Murdoch press ( and the ABC) have not referred to Julia’s treatment, when dragging in some other abused women into the SHY/ Leyonhjelm story discussions…
In their opinion it’s OK to abuse Labor ladies….
Gynophobia is commonplace in Australia. “Ditch the Bitch” placards at the door of parliament house in Canberra were tolerated by the prime minister — there’s a suspicion he approved — women premiers: Western Australia’s: Carmen Lawrence, Victoria’s Joan Kirner, the New South Wales premier Kristina Keneally, all were disparaged for the clothes they wore or for their marital status or body shape; their authority, dignity, or reputation trashed by men who worked in the same house as they as our national leaders. Gynophobia is a disgusting Australian trait.
I confine myself to just one adjective … disgusting.
ODwyer just another useless Coalition “Minister for Women”. Starting with Tony Abbott for heavens sake, followed my the union basher Michaelia Cash, and now the odious O’Dwyer. (note shes very late to the “must apologise” conversation)
Note all 3 are said to be members of the Institute of Public Affairs, the lobby group fronted by Rupert Murdoch, that well known feminist.
I think this dropkick (Leyonhjelm) has got what he wanted – plenty of air time / print for an unremarkable political stay (I wouldn’t call it a career). I don’t think I have come across a TV station or media website that hasn’t written or aired something about him. As Michael Pascoe, one of the many that have taken the bait, quoted about him from Oscar Wilde ” The one thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about”.
Helvityni, the abc did discuss the Gillard’s treatment from Abbott in this article.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-04/david-leyonhjelm-sarah-hanson-young-sexist-abuse-parliament/9939584
Harry, he’s a safe bet, only a minor player, people are afraid to out any of more ‘important’ politicians or public figures, whatever their misdemeanours…
No one knew about Barnaby’s affairs just to mention the most recent story… As for Gillard, she was Brown’s bitch,( and from the Left) whom Jones wanted to put in a hessian bag and throw into the sea… Oh, it was so much fun…!!!
Whilst Leyonjhelm is being criticised in the media and by other politicians, have a look at his facebook page. There are hundreds of people supporting him with comments like
“Anna Love: The recent event is just another example of why I support you. You handled this situation with intelligence, calm and confidence. You didn’t get angry or backtrack or hide. A true leader.
Lynn Taylor: Thank you for not apologizing, she deserved everything you said.
Theresa Kelly: So sad that no other politicians would “man Up” and stand with you”
And they are just a few of the clean ones. The fact that it is women saying these things truly saddens me.
Leyonhjelm’s latest thread: “Over the past few days, I’ve been overwhelmed by a large number of people contacting me and offering their support. It appears I’m not the only Australian who is fed up with the double standards and crocodile tears of the perpetually offended. To those who have supported me, I’d like to say thank you. In a sea of political correctness and self-aggrandising victimhood, you are a beacon of hope.”
https://www.facebook.com/SenatorDavidLeyonhjelm/
Kaye Lee, sadly it doesn’t surprise me that there are a number of women who support Leyonhjelm. One finds that there are women who came from the same place as some men, that of smug superiority.
Now you are thinking, Mr Lord. your namesake is the man who made wombmen from and for, dickmen. The boys of judaism, christianity and mohamedism all maintain the belief that they are superior.(for at least 1 week per month). In the eyes of the believers women are not equal and until god decides otherwise they will never be equal.
Libertarian: a person who believes that people should be free to think and behave as they want and should not have limits put on them by governments:
The victorian vet believes in his beliefs first labor then socialist then liberal till his gun beliefs clashed with howard’s reform and he joined the shooters then the liberal democratic party plenty of beliefs from which to chose??
The exchange between him and the woman on 7:30?? when he couldn’t remember what SHY said was classuc ‘you’re calling me a liar well thank you’ no senator she is showing you how silly you are.
Why does anyone call the twit honourable? A Member or Senator who becomes a Minister is appointed to the Executive Council and thus has the title ‘Honourable’ while they remain Executive Councillors.
ps
I have seen the reaction to SHY’s style like her green hijab in one of the rabbottian posts from ‘reclaim Australia’- ‘Show some self respect Sarah, Women in Australia do NOT need to cover up for fear of assault! Try campaigning in Saudi Arabia and speak about the oppression of Women there, then you will understand how Islam treats Women! Just proves she would do ANYTHING for votes!
Indeed the diludbransimkims. in a pragmatic moment, sent her to the back of the green room. Wonder if the rabbott has her down as an ‘exceptional’ woman???
Leyonjhelm is deliberately misquoting on his facebook page to further fuel the fire.
He begins a thread with “Hanson-Young denies ever saying “men are rapists”. Senator Hinch, who is not trying to defend me, agrees she said at least this.”
What Hinch actually said in a tweet was that SHY said “women wouldn’t need pepper spray if men weren’t rapists”
Sen. Hanson Young never said all men were rapists- she is not stupid. This awful right wing anarchist who supports gun toting should emigrate to the US asap. He is a Trumpian vulgarian.
As disgusting and destructive an antic as has ever occurred in the Senate.
Josephus, he certainly is Trump with the mask torn away to show the inner ugliness. Rowan Dean emphasises the point.
In the shadows lurks Murdoch, pulling the strings, exploiting the hate.
Carol Taylor, most of this handful of women are going to be hard right Murdoch types, female versions of Rowan Dean.
They ramp up the hate because that is the emotional climate that is wanted in politics, particularly with a forthcoming election…anything but considered and rational.
And like Dean, several appear to manifest symptoms of a basic personality disorder syndrome.
From another trajectory, early in the thread Harry. V. Dirchy summed it with breathtaking brevity.
paul walter, to think that this man’s background is found in Swedish aristocracy. The family is of Swedish noble origin, ‘Leijonhielm’ barony granted 1719…..
Not much nobility in the later offspring…
The French say : Noblesse oblige…
Bye the bye !
I’ve just been reading how the GST will require $8 billion in extra funding for the states over the next eight years, that is after more than $100 billion in income tax cuts over the next six years plus $80 billion in company tax cuts.
No wonder bill Shorten’s head is spinning, I know mine is.
Surely this is the first government in recent history to have hocked future governments to such an extent with massive military expenditure (frigates, submarines and drones) along with massive cuts in future revenue and now unfunded GST top-ups.
Helvityny, I think he is mentally disqualified from sitting in parliament on grounds of dementia. Terence Mills provides examples of what dementia exploited, at best, evil at worst, has done this nation.
He appears subject to sexual fantasies and frustrations re female politicians, but my bet is, said nothing about Joyce and Campion’s antics, probably sanctimoniously bemoaned an imagined “invasion of privacy”..
[The ongoing saga over his remarks about fellow senator Sarah Hanson-Young are rightly being condemned for what they are and by most men of respectability]
Yep, even I being an anti-PC type and not liking Hanson-Young, feel Leyonhjelm is harming my cause. He is displaying an unreasonable degree of disrespect for another parliamentarian seemingly without any reason or reasoning. At no stage in history would his actions be considered justifiable.
It shows the problem with rogue Independents – they cannot be controlled by anyone with more diplomatic or strategic sense.
Yes, Jim Haz. And then SKY had to get involved, with their opportunistic, cynical exploitative, carnivorous mentality
Yup, and Leyonjhelm just can’t stop.
“If my client’s concerns notice is not addressed to her satisfaction, I am instructed to commence legal proceedings against Mr Leyonhjelm without further notice to him. He would be well advised to seek legal advice.”
The legal notice covers six public statements made by Senator Leyonhjelm between June 28 and July 2, covering his appearances on Sky News, 3AW radio, the ABC’s 730 program, Channel Ten’s The Project and a statement published on Medium.com that was republished on Facebook.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/hanson-young-gives-leyonhjelm-one-week-to-pay-compensation-or-face-lawsuit-20180705-p4zpmd.html
Yeah, the extremely uptight and conservative are quite overt with their inappropriate sexual behaviour.
I guess much of it is fear based: fear of difference, fear of women (this includes women who apparently fear other women; Michaelia Cash, Kelly O’Dwyer. et al), fear of homosexuality. Add the onset of dementia into established smug superiority … who would dare suggest Leyonhjelm go to see his doctor?
We NEVER see the progressive left behaving badly, do we? 😛
Harvey Weinstein?
I commented on Leyonjhelm’s page…
” I find your argument illogical. If you say that “women” need to protect themselves, that presumes that the danger comes from men. Therefore it is entirely reasonable to say that women wouldn’t need to protect themselves if men didn’t attack them.”
response from Simon Isnotaknifeblock Lanham “F*ck off idiot.”
followed by “I bet you’re ugly as well as stupid, Kaye Lee” – same guy whose profile pic is him pointing a gun straight at the camera.
The comments there about SHY are REALLY gonna add to the defamation case. They are going feral.
diannaart,
The left are definitely not immune. Look at the case of staffer Stephanie Jones and NSW Labor General Secretary Jamie Clements.
Why hasn’t the Senate censured Leyonhjelm???
Leyonhjelm has a prodigious mouth, few utilisable brains, no reflexivity at all, to dig and expand a hole this deep for himself.
As a man, he has made me cringe and I am no angel on these matters either.
It is not only the “honorable” David’s appalling personal behaviour that I object to, but also his anarchistic philosophy and nutty libertarian positions. He appears to believe that people and corporations should be free to say and do what they wish, even at the expense of public welfare, health and safety, and irrespective of any offence taken by others.
Strictly speaking, he is a Propertarian rather than a genuine Libertarian, otherwise he would not be such a hypocrite, the puritanical prig.
Max Gross, too many of them have skeletons of their own in their closets.
Good to see people like Cash (Miranda Devine?) are also getting a mention, they are traitors to their class and their sistas also.
From another trajectory, this:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jul/05/daily-telegraphs-allegations-motivated-to-harm-geoffrey-rush-lawyers-argue
Someone else who has attracted the attention of the right tabloid mentality represented by Leyjonhelm and Rowan Dean.
Almost identical as sadistic efforts to destroy quite reasonable people.
Kaye Lee
Missing in action; the entire senate – these people not all that concerned about the toxicity of their workplace?
There are those who condemn themselves by saying too much, as Leyonhjelm has demonstrated on a level only exceeded by Trump.
Others condemn themselves by more covert methods: “I’m not as awful as Leyonhjelm” – WTF?
Yet others believe silence is better than weighing into an argument which (apparently) has no solution – significant part of government very quiet indeed.
There are solutions of course.
However, solutions include such actions as a sincere “mea culpa”, actual accountability AND action such as speaking out against abuse, any kind of abuse from the verbal to the physical – right now and into the future.
Saying sorry is so hard to do.
Miranda Devine gave the expected Murdoch News Corp slant on Leyonhjelm on Radio National this morning. Thankfully Gillian Triggs was on hand to counter.
Triggs creamed her. Operates at a completely different level. Brave for Devine to appear – mustn’t have known the names of her fellow panelists until too late. Somewhat cruel!
Triggs for GG. Need for a bit of class. No more military types.
yes Frank it’s Psalm 44 paragraph B from the Jordan Peterson hymnbook that many are conveniently singing from or cherry picking from.
I agree with everything you say about the loathsome Senator, however , on a purely technical basis only ministers and other members of the executive( such as the speaker) are entitled to the word ‘Honourable’. So by definition Leyonhjelm is not ‘Honourable’, something which is confirmed every time he opens his mouth.
You messed that all up with the closing 5 words – “But that’s men for you.”
Kaye Lee, “I bet you’re ugly as well as stupid, Kaye Lee”
My two little grandsons selected a youthful photo of me to be my profile pic.
Did that picture get abuse heaped on me; Her eyes are too apart, and some other ugly stuff…
The abuser was female, but her male friend soon joined in the nasty merry-making…
There are vindictive people on both side, amongst both both men and women; luckily the moderation is pretty good here on AIM.
helvityni,
In a very old Frank Zappa song called “What’s the ugliest part of your body?”, the singer finally decides “I think it’s your mind..”
Some people are ugly on the inside and no amount of makeup or preening will ever cover that up.
From my perspective Leyonhjelm fits into both camps – inside and outside – quite comfortably, along with many of his supporters.
(For what it’s worth, I think you look a bit like a young Audrey Hepburn).
Zathras,
Audrey Hepburn! LOL, that puts you immediately into my “a kind person” category…and Frank Zappa was only TOO right…
I must have done something wrong; why did my above post come as a quote?
All fixed for you, helvityni.
(I don’t know why it happened though. One of the mysterious things of the internet).
The Lord works in mysterious ways, Michael.
But there will be no rest for the wicked…