As ever, the speakers roster at this year’s Australian branch of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) fell into the three categories: people who get interviewed on Sky after dark; people who are no longer allowed to host shows on Sky after dark; and people who come up in related searches if you google the people in the first two categories.
This year managed to be more impressive than last year (with a former prime minister in Tony Abbott and a few international visitors, including former Trump adviser Jason Miller) but simultaneously less, with One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts, anti-5G conspiracy theorist Topher Field, and “popular rapper” Zuby reading out a Twitter thread.
So among the glittering array of some of Australia’s most easily booked right-wingers, what must it feel like to not even be asked to speak?
You could ask the following who Crikey spotted in the crowd: men’s rights activist/child abusers’ interviewer of choice Bettina Arndt; United Australia Party Senator Ralph Babet (the dispiriting answer to the question: “What does $100 million of Clive Palmer cash buy you?”) and mischievous crypt keeper and former Liberal senator Eric Abetz (seen “schmoozing”, we’re informed).
Also there was former Andrew Laming staffer and sentient smirk Barclay McGain, who was volunteering. We are told that at one point McGain intentionally ran into the chanting leftie protesters outside while videoing himself.
Just in case founder Andrew Cooper’s contention that if the “left” gets into power, “some of us would get literally slaughtered” didn’t tip you off, CPAC is all about that sort of content.
The usual deplorables then. Not even worth a Hunter S. exegesis. Sort of write it themselves anyway. Love the, we would get literally slaughtered. They have of course been continually literaturely slaughtered by almost anyone who can form logical thoughts for years now.
CPAC does seem very much a bizarro world Marxist conference. Lots of people shouting about how bad things are and blaming it on [insert object of ideological ire], espousing forward specious rhetorical solutions to a room full of already-converted punters, much muttering of the need for revolution or whatever its conservative doppleganger is. And at the end of 2 days of echo chamber rambling, renewed conviction that the rest of the world is going the wrong way because of [insert object of ideological ire again].
I wonder why the ghastly Bettina Arndt didn’t get a speaking spot?
Too dreadful for this pretty dreadful bunch?
For starters, she’s a woman.
She apparently thinks that men should be given the opportunity of a trial prior to the ABC declaring him guilty. And in the Hawthorn mould.
Ha, what a vile oppressed concubine of Teh Patriarcheeeeez…!
Bettina is just so passe. Yesterday’snooze.
In the early 80s she ploughed a new furrow, if not Demeter’s triple furrow, as a sexual liberal – musta got her heart broke bad to have become the horror we her today.
…”the horror we hear today.”
What an inspirational list of barkers : to assure the converted that they’re barking up the far right tree….
Didn’t really tell us much? Then again some of the sponsors, influencers and ‘free speech’ warriors around CPAC need to be treated with kid gloves in Oz….
However, if you did not know already CPAC is a (now global) creation of the American Conservative Union, behind the GOP, but promoting US style ‘freedom & liberty’ with old segregation, Christian and patriarchal style sentiments.