Thursday, March 3, 2011

Lustre comes from within, Mr Rabbit

It's okay, apparently, to compare the Prime Minister to Colonel Gaddafi, a name synonymous with derangement since my youth. But I must say I'm enjoying the way that hate speech in public life, so clearly an import from the worst and craziest of US public life and, alas, rocked in the cradle of Christianity both there and here, is being countered in Australia by an increasingly public awareness that this vile stuff is being encouraged if not orchestrated by people with money and/or power who want to hang onto both and are perfectly prepared to exploit the mean-spirited, the short-sighted, the ignorant and the unbalanced in order to do so.

I really would like to know what the motives were of the man who rang up Tony Windsor and threatened him with death. I'd like to sit him down and talk him through what he thinks and believes, and why. I'd like to ask him exactly where he got the idea that this sort of behaviour was acceptable. And I'd like to ask him whether he understands that 'tax' isn't just something 'the Guvmint' (have you noticed how Tony Abbott's pronunciation of this word becomes more strident and nasal with every passing day?) rips off you because they can; to find out whether he actually understands that the point of taxation is to make stuff, manage stuff, buy stuff and build stuff about whose absence he would be the first to complain.

11 comments:

Elephant's Child said...

I think the strident, nasal delivery (and regrettably public appearances in budgie smugglers) is supposed to make us think that he is just like us. Victimised by the wicked guvmint but fighting back. It makes me cringe.

Lord Sedgwick said...

I could handle the "the strident, nasal delivery" (just) but what I found seriously disconcerting during Question Time the other day was his frenetic disjointed marionette body movement.

Meredith said...

Dear Cat,
this post is so very sane and sensible, thank you. I am anticipating a breakdown from Abbott--he is clearly manic--Canberra shrinks are probably taking bets on when it will happen.

Lucy Sussex said...

Abbott goes Galliano? Preferably whilst wearing flowery hat with veil.

Mindy said...

Behaviour reminiscent of a spoiled child Mr Abbott. Not what I want in a Prime Minister. You lost, deal with it, preferably not ala Charlie Sheen.

Stephanie said...

It was just the other day that I told Tony Abbott on my television screen that if no other reason (and I have plenty of other reasons) I would never vote for him because of the way he pronounces "Guvmint". I'm glad to know I'm not the only one bugged by it.

Kerryn Goldsworthy said...

For some reason the quacky first syllable is particularly annoying.

David Irving (no relation) said...

Mr Rabbit has transmogrified into Sinister Duck.

Mindy said...

For DI(NR) http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=8196 Sinister ducks

Anonymous said...

"I think the strident, nasal delivery (and regrettably public appearances in budgie smugglers)I think the strident, nasal delivery (and regrettably public appearances in budgie smugglers)"

I think the problem is that Mr. Abbott, the Opposition Leaders voice is being damaged by a fortnight of yelling and screaming, which by the way grates on the nerves.

Also, I feel that Mr. Abbott, the Opposition Leader is basically a lazy man, except for his addiction to bike riding, which results in poor pronunciation.

Helen said...

Anonymous, was that a cut and paste mistake, or a riff on the way these parliamentarians always make their oh so funny remarks twice make their oh so funny remarks twice? so that no one will miss it no one will miss it? Can someone gently explain modern recording technology to these people?