Today, Australia Day, Tony Abbott was at the Sydney Opera House and made a big splash announcement that the Coalition would be donating $10 Million over the next 5 years(and where is that large sum of money coming from I might ask? Especially considering the Coalition coffers were supposed to be almost empty), to the Surf Life Saving Association of Australia.
Fair enough, you might think, they are a worthy cause, and nothing could be more Australian on Australia Day that the Bronzed Aussie Lifesaver. However, it was the words that accompanied the announcement that piqued my interest. For as Tony Abbott made the announcement he made the point of saying words to the effect that, "There is nothing more important than saving the lives of drowning Australians."
Now, let me just unpack that statement a little bit for you as I interpret it.
He is the most dangerous man to ever run for the position of Prime Minister of Australia that I have known. One only has to look at the dangerous situation that he and the Prime Minister found themselves in this afternoon at The Lobby Restaurant in Canberra, as a result of comments he made earlier in the day about the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, to have a taste of what the future might hold for our country, should he be so elected.
Here are some pictures and an article about the incident:
http://static.lifeislocal.com.au/multimedia/images/full/1668850.jpg
http://www.smh.com.au/national/pm---dragged-away-after-being-trapped-by--protesters-20120126-1qj1c.html
http://www.aapone.com.au/search.aspx?search=JULIA+GILLARD+AUSTRALIA+DAY+PROTEST%26%28IMPORTDATE%3E20120125%29
Fair enough, you might think, they are a worthy cause, and nothing could be more Australian on Australia Day that the Bronzed Aussie Lifesaver. However, it was the words that accompanied the announcement that piqued my interest. For as Tony Abbott made the announcement he made the point of saying words to the effect that, "There is nothing more important than saving the lives of drowning Australians."
Now, let me just unpack that statement a little bit for you as I interpret it.
- Tony Abbott is saying that it is most important that 'Australian' lives be saved.
- Tony Abbott is implying that it is not so important that if Asylum Seekers drown at sea they are not saved.
- This contradistinction was made in the week after Tony Abbott announced his brutal policy for Asylum Seekers who come to this country by boat.
He is the most dangerous man to ever run for the position of Prime Minister of Australia that I have known. One only has to look at the dangerous situation that he and the Prime Minister found themselves in this afternoon at The Lobby Restaurant in Canberra, as a result of comments he made earlier in the day about the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, to have a taste of what the future might hold for our country, should he be so elected.
Here are some pictures and an article about the incident:
http://static.lifeislocal.com.au/multimedia/images/full/1668850.jpg
http://www.smh.com.au/national/pm---dragged-away-after-being-trapped-by--protesters-20120126-1qj1c.html
http://www.aapone.com.au/search.aspx?search=JULIA+GILLARD+AUSTRALIA+DAY+PROTEST%26%28IMPORTDATE%3E20120125%29
I can only hope that the electorate will finally see yabot for the low life he truly is. Only with his acid tongue could a celebration of Australia turn into something like this. alan jones would be proud.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, he has been agitating for this kind of disturbance in Canberra for a long time. It is just funny when it finally does happen, it is directed at him.
Although, watching the news last night, it appeared that all the demonstrators were agitating against Gillard, and yabot was just caught out in hte crossfire. I hope time will let the true story out. I did note the Project examined it far better than any 'news' outlet managed to.
And yes, yabot is master of the dog whistle, Yesterdays scenes are just the end result of his long history of dog whistling to the Indigenous community. They knew precisely what he was saying.
Congrats on the blog HillbillySkeleton
TomR,
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to visit my little blog of no consequence :)
What amazed me about the reaction to Abbott's comments yesterday and the resulting fracas was the number of people, like Ray Hadley, who were prepared to go to the trouble of finding an angle to cut the sympathy vote for the PM off at the knees.
More to say on this later.
Hi FS,
ReplyDeleteJohn Passant points out that the Lobby has changed names to Porkbarrel Café in a great article from one who was part of the march in support of the First Australian's cause. He posits that that the Porkbarrel Café was a great place for the Bobbsey twins of racism, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott to be when they got a little of thier own back.
http://enpassant.com.au/?p=12131
Your point about the silent dogwhistle has merit. There is no doubt that Mr Abbott and his advisers are very good, nay expert, at framing things in such a way that that various audiences hear what they want to hear in what he says.
I was tending toward a view that there was an over interpration of what he said at his doorstop early yesterday and that the media overstated the I think it probably is time to move on from that comment to mean disband the tent embassy.
Recent developments are causing me to think a little differently.
I am not a great fan of conspiracy theories and when having to choose between conspiracy and stuff up I reckon, in Australian politics, if you choose stuff up, there is about a 99.94% chance you will be right.
A distinction has to be drawn between conspiracy and collusion and there is enough eveidence around that various journos collude with politicians on both sides to get the desired message out into the wider world rather than conspire to achieve a certain end.
I am smelling a great big rat at the moment.
Given reports that the Opposition are calling for AFP inquiries into who, in the PM's office, knew of Mr Abbott's movements yesterday and who 'misinformed' people at the tent embassy that Abbott had called for the dismantling of the Tent Embassy I am almost able to believe a conspiracy theory of my own making, however, I will still punt for stuff up.
I have deep suspicions that people in some way 'related' to Mr Abbott's office were involved in 'misinforming' the people at the Tent Embassy in the hopes of creating scenes that he could play off to his advantage in the evening news reports.
Herein the 'stuff up'. The reactions of the the protective detail to the events weren't forseen and instead of Mr Abbott getting some 'great press' things panned out very differently.
The machine within the Oppostion Leaders office are now spinning furiously trying to rescue a situation gone bad.
DMW,
ReplyDeleteEvents today, Saturday, have put paid to a couple of your theories. I don't think either the PM's office or Abbott's office pre-meditated any subsequent eventuality on the day. However, I think you can guarantee that Abbott's office has sought to make as much political mileage out of the events as they happened, as possible.