The extraordinary abuse copped by a pair of female politicians over the course of the Queensland election campaign could well represent a new low in political discourse.
Their seats sit on a knife-edge. Labor holds South Brisbane, with political powerhouse and former deputy premier Jackie Trad in the fight of her life with the Greens, who the LNP has decided to preference ahead of her.
The Greens already hold the seat of Maiwar, a hop, skip and jump away. But former TV journalist and new LNP star Lauren Day has had a big impact inside the party, and LNP chiefs expect to count that seat in their tally on October 31.
Trad and Day have nothing much in common. But this week, they have both become the subject of foul sexist slurs.
Trad has been labelled a “slut” in big ugly letters across corflutes. Private property has also been vandalised, and police have now been called in to investigate.
“Honestly, this needs to stop,” Trad told her supporters on Facebook yesterday. “It’s not activism, it’s cowardice and it’s sexist.”
It sure is, even if Day won’t use that word. Yesterday, one of her volunteers was hosed down by an onlooker. The day before, Day was labeled “ScoMo’s whore” in graffiti attacks. Other signs had been defaced with drawings of male genitalia.
“It just shows the left is worried about losing the seat,” she told Crikey, “but my experience in journalism has prepared me well for this.” A former court reporter, Day’s grown a thick skin.
But isn’t it also sexist? Day didn’t want to be drawn into that debate. But it is.
Calling female politicians sluts and whores is a sad indictment on both the perpetrators and any community that tolerates it.
Hosing down volunteers, destroying property including fences, and abusing supporters of those running for public office diminishes our democracy.
Of course, the stakes for both Trad and Day are high. And they are two of the toughest politicians lining up at the ballot box. Neither is easily intimidated, but that should not provide the bar for what’s acceptable and what’s not.
“They are gutless pieces of crap,” one of Trad’s supporters wrote on her Facebook page. Another declared “grubs like this fit right into the Lib/Nat party so well … they are low rent nasty bum sniffers”.
The standard of debate, in the wake of abuse against Day, was no better. “Imagine the uproar from the left if (Annastacia) Palaszczuk’s sign made reference to her being Albo’s lady of ill-repute” one said. Others blamed the Greens, and even a Labor minister’s father for the abuse.
Social media — and the anonymity it offers — has made certain voices louder and more abusive. A pandemic that has decreased political door knocks, town hall meetings and mall greetings has also raised the political temperature.
Would someone really call Jackie Trad or Lauren Day a slut or a whore to their face? You’d hope not. But we should also hope that the politics of hate never trumps noisy stoushes where the debate is about ideas and visions.
Perhaps that’s a touch idealistic. But as the starter’s gun sounds on the Queensland election campaign — where we will get a female leader no matter what party gains power — there’s already a deplorable waft of sexism that needs to be called out by all sides.
A very important topic, but used by Ms King to caste aspertions on Labour and Green supporters. No mention that this type of action and language is all over the hard right platforms and activities – and in many cases the violence is much worse. Ms King’s signing off states she has been a reporter for ABC, Fairfax and News and has written a book on Joe Hockey. Crickey, please, Murdoch and Co have quite enough column space without you giving your valuable space to their ‘anti-people’ mouthpieces.
Are Crikey’s subscribers interested in this sensationalist dreck? I’m definitely not.
I am. For exactly the reasons explained in the article. One wonders why one would not be interested in this story. I care about the ever increasing level of hate speech – and personal violence – directed against politicians. Male as well as female.
Yeah, I am. I would find it frightening to have sentiments like that directed to me. This behaviour is not ok on so many levels. These two women have a right to not be harassed regardless of their politics.
I am.
Although something may be outside of your personal sphere of concern or experience, it doesn’t make it ‘sensationalist dreck.’ There’s absolutely no logical way that you could be in a position to judge it as thus.
Abused female ALP candidate blames it on cowards and sexists; abused female LNP candidate blames it on the Left.
Why am I not surprised?
The “left” apparently worried about losing? The left? Could be anyone with no brains but not an LNP supporter who go too far with their behaviour. Unacceptable actions against any female of whatever party. Shows the low level of understanding politics – more like extreme mysogeny coming out.
Does King ever read the Curry or Maul – the one-eyed rag that she used to do Limited News Party PR for – the sort of intolerant thinking that (and she used too) it nurtures against Labor, and even more The Greens (like holding Maiwar)?
Last election Wardill was paid to throw everything at Trad in her seat – to white-ant the electorate’s faith in her position : while missing the slide to the Greens, in the adjoining (“hop, skip and a jump”? Look at the map) in Maiwar.
Is Day a “politician”? Or is that just a forgone Limited News Party conclusion? Now King’s doing Day’s LNP PR?
“Social media …” – taking their lead from those parts parts of the intolerant “established” media (see Murdoch’s Limited News rags, FOX, and Sky?) – “… has made certain voices louder and more abusive”? But the partisan, subjective, gossip-peddling, toxic msm (that King worked for – doing the PR she did) doesn’t matter when it comes to promoting vilification?
I’ll take King seriously when she turns her “journalistic(?)” hand to examining the impact that Murdoch’s media empire (that she worked for, churning out one-way propaganda) has had on our society and democracy.
I used to watch King on the Today show when she was a talking head on ‘topics of the day’. Invariably she was with the LNP and against the ALP. Didn’t matter what it was, that was her position.
You’re right klew, she could so use her “skills” to examine the impact her former employer has had, not only on Australia’s politics and society, but that of the UK and USA. Now that might be something useful.
The world is full of hypocrites.
As for (other’s and their) “politics of hate”? Give me a break. … Watch SKY After Dark to see what Rupert peddles?
Then read “Blot on the Political Landscape” (published in the same rag she was)?
Then Credlin, Penberthy, Akerman, Gleeson, Devine, Benson, Panahi etc – it’s an opinionated political bile factory of which she (along with Dutton’s, now official, PR peddling Veillaris) is an alumnus. Any wonder they stir up what they do, to action (“None of which is their fault. That their devotees are so impressionable. Who’da known!”?).
…. Where is there such a “comparable” msm suppurating fissure on “the left”?
What a list Klewso, you have me wiping specks of vomit off my screen..!!
Must be only a matter of time before Speers has King on Insiders, he seems determined to give plenty of time to Murdoch hacks, but mercifully not Bolt or Akerman.
Then there was the weekly contributions to our “culture” by Rowan Dean.
“Groom of the Coalition Stool” Dennis Atkins (“national political editor” – there wasn’t a better/worse example of Labor cock-ups to salve a current Coalition cock-up that he wouldn’t trot out in mitigation : but there were no reciprocal examples when Labor was in the crap) penned a piece once on “what’s gone wrong on the Middle East” : and “forgot” to mention the invasion of Iraq by the Murdoch sponsored and fomented Coalition of the Willing – as far as he seemed to see it “The US invaded Iraq”?
Though, to be fair, all these one-eyed effluent outpourings was “off-set” by the columns of Terry Sweetman – one binocular visioned journalist. That was the Murdoch-Fagan idea of “balance”.
…. as a Crikey writer said several weeks ago.. SkyNews is like watching a live CCTV feed from an insane asylum… perfect description…