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.
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An observation
The contention that everyone has recourse to bigotry and hate speech is a nonsense.
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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.
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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.
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