Abbott's clangers...

[Black Orchid]

Bernie Barton not pure of heart
Bernie Banton was the face of asbestos-disease sufferers who campaigned for victims of James Hardie products until his death in November 2007.

In the middle of the 2007 election campaign, Mr Banton had arranged a meeting in the office of the then health minister Tony Abbott to present a petition. Mr Abbott missed the meeting.

Infuriated, Mr Banton called Mr Abbott a "gutless creep". But Mr Abbott dismissed the petition a "stunt".

"Let's be upfront about this. I know Bernie is very sick, but just because a person is sick doesn't necessarily mean that he is pure of heart in all things," Mr Abbott told the Nine Network. He later apologised.

Bad form.

The carbon tax repeal and women
In an interview with Nine Network's Today show at the end of last year, Mr Abbott prompted a widespread backlash after declaring abolishing the carbon tax was the best thing his government had achieved for women in 2014.

"As many of us know, women are particularly focused on the household budget and the repeal of the carbon tax means a $550 a year benefit for the average family."

It followed his infamous 2010 remarks while opposition leader that an emissions trading scheme would hurt housewives.

"What the housewives of Australia need to understand as they do the ironing is that if they get it done commercially it's going to go up in price and their own power bills when they switch the iron on are going to go up," Mr Abbott said at the time.

I would love to tell him where to shove his iron.

Making Prince Philip a Knight
When asked to explain Tony Abbott's baffling decision to offer a knighthood to Prince Philip in the Australia Day honours, a ministerial staffer speculated that the Prime Minister had only intended to get "up the nose" of the left wing media.

But the uproar was very much mainstream.

Conservative columnist Andrew Bolt, one of Abbott's fiercest supporters, called it "pathetically stupid" and potentially fatal.

The friendless captain's call led directly to the "near-death" spill motion against the PM a fortnight later.

Stupid thing to do to "get up the nose of the left wing media"?

'As dead as the former Liberal leader's political prospects'
In 2005, then health minister Tony Abbott was forced to apologise after it emerged he had joked at a Liberal Party function about John Brogden just hours after the then NSW Liberal leader attempted suicide.

Asked about a particular health reform proposal, Abbott reportedly said: "If we did that, we would be as dead as the former Liberal leader's political prospects."

The comment was made the day after Mr Brogden was found unconscious in his electorate office with self-inflicted wounds. Outraged mental health advocates branded the remarks appalling and insensitive and the opposition called for his resignation

That was appalling.

Like him or dislike him you cannot deny that he has a severe case of foot in mouth disease.

More at http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/ ... 40qnp.html

[Outlaw Yogi]

To err is human, so in a way Abbott's gaffes indicate he's still learning.

Would you prefer someone who is more prudent with what they say because the have latent agendas/desires/intentions, like Turnbull?

Or would you prefer someone who's destroyed 2 PMs from their own party, like Shorten?

Be careful what you wish for, because if/when you get it, you might not like it.

[Black Orchid]

I would prefer someone who was an adequate public speaker at that level. He is the highest ranking representative of our country and his job is to converse on the world stage at a much higher than average level. They need to think and speak on the hop instead of just blurting out whatever inappropriate nonsense floats into their head.

Unfortunately there is no such person on either side of politics.

I am not going to just pat him on the head when he acts like a dunderhead.

[Outlaw Yogi]

I remember Paul Keating refering German Chancellor Angela Merkel as unintelligent.
So the wealthiest (collectively) and most technologically industrialised nation in Europe was run by a dingbat.

I have an above average command of the English language, and can express it both orally and in writing, but I have ideas that frighten a lot of people, both left and right.
I grew up with (party) politics so understand the concepts and intricasies involved, and
while in a yogic cult was taught Madhura (Art of Sweet words) for which Krishna is credited with inventing diplomacy.

So I have the requisite skills, but would you really want a ratbag like me running the country? ... sooner or later I'd pick a fight with Indonesia.

[Black Orchid]

I am not worried about picking a fight with Indonesia. From what I have read their military training is on a par with that of their Garuda pilots.

[IQS.RLOW]

I read that, and Abbott was correct in every call.

Banton was a die hard unionist who used and abused his illness in typically foul leftist ideological ways.

The iron thing was an off hand comment (while he was ironing) that many husbands would make because their wives do the ironing. It's a job that has to be done and is mostly (but not solely) done by women.

The knighting wasnt done to "get up the nose of the leftwing media". Phillip has been awarded similar accolades by New Zealand and Canada among other commonwealth countries in the past 2 years. This was no different except for the rabid leftwing media.

Joked at a Liberal party function "just hours after Brogden attempted suicide". Did you think to ask if he knew about the suicide attempt? No, I didn't think you would because you are too busy swallowing the bullshit served up to you on a platter by the leftwing media and you are lapping up every brown sloppy morsel and begging for more. Brogden was a sleaze, propositioned female journolists and staff and called Bob Carrs wife a mail order bride- Abbott again made the correct call on his future prospects.

I didn't figure you for such a gullible numpty BO...

[IQS.RLOW]

Do I have to school you on the rest of that shoddy article by the Fuaxfax media whose chief executives have been outed in court in recent days as having extreme bias towards conservatives and Hockey in particular?

Shit happens?
the virginity question?
Australian settlement?
Lifestyle choice?
Sex appeal?
Holocaust of job losses?


Every one of them a leftist media beat up of hearing the truth.

[Rorschach]

The Banton thing was a disgrace.
Yes he does have a habit of putting his foot in it, not as much as he used to, and yes, the progs do draw a bloody long bow at times to make a mountain out of a molehill with him.

[Black Orchid]

I read that, and Abbott was correct in every call.

I don't agree. A leader needs to be diplomatic to be effective. He/she can think what they like but they need the ability to hold their tongue, rein in their thoughts and show restraint instead of blurting out random and inappropriate one liners. Neither Keating nor Latham had the ability to check their random thoughts before they escaped their mouths. Abbott is only marginally better and only because he can't think as fast.

The iron thing was an off hand comment (while he was ironing) that many husbands would make because their wives do the ironing. It's a job that has to be done and is mostly (but not solely) done by women.

It was a stupid thing for a supposedly educated man to say.

The knighting wasnt done to "get up the nose of the leftwing media". Phillip has been awarded similar accolades by New Zealand and Canada among other commonwealth countries in the past 2 years. This was no different except for the rabid leftwing media.

Again this was a stupid thing to do that he put no thought in to. I cannot believe you are defending his choice and you are calling me a numpty? Even his own party members were dumb struck, as they should be.

Joked at a Liberal party function "just hours after Brogden attempted suicide". Did you think to ask if he knew about the suicide attempt? No, I didn't think you would because you are too busy swallowing the bullshit served up to you on a platter by the leftwing media and you are lapping up every brown sloppy morsel and begging for more. Brogden was a sleaze, propositioned female journolists and staff and called Bob Carrs wife a mail order bride- Abbott again made the correct call on his future prospects.

Yes I believe he knew about Brogden. Within hours everyone knew and both Abbott and Brogden lived in the same area so I find it hard to believe that he didn't know and like him or hate him Abbott has a penchant for blurting out inappropriate thoughts. The fact he even mentioned suicide is probably because his knowledge of Brogden's attempted suicide was somewhere in his thought processes.

Bob Carr's marriage was arranged. "Mail order bride' is perhaps yet another inappropriate term but it is what it is. Carr is gay.

There is no rule book that says we have to revere every leader our chosen political party decides to put in the top job. I didn't like Abbott as a health minister and he has done little since then to change my mind. He is, however, improving.

Blindly following obvious nitwits like Latham, Gillard etc just because they got the top 'job' in their chosen party is a leftie trait and one I don't adhere to.

I won't pat Abbott on the head like a good little puppy 'just because' when I think he is faltering. I don't think he is strong enough to keep the party fluid.

[skippy]

Abbott is dividing Liberal party support in a way I have never seen before.
Maybe it's because both parties have such bad options on offer.
Shorten would be no better than Abbott as PM.
I know we elect governments and not leaders but the leader of the party elected to govern has so much power that they do dictate the direction of a government.
I can see years of tag team governments until another " decent" PM is elected. I don't honestly believe there is a decent option in either major party. But there are " better" options than we currently have.