“I think if the government was a bit more experienced in this area they wouldn’t come out with glib lines like that.”
Glib, indeed.
Tony Abbott says this comment on the baby bonus wasn’t referring to the Prime Minister’s childlessness. So what exactly did he mean?
Seriously, we’re asking …?
It seems to us there’s two scenarios. Either, he really did mean to say the PM is “deliberately barren”, as Bill Heffernan once suggested (as does today’s Crikey Decoder — give it the ol’ switcheroo on the website and get involved with suggestions).
Or he’s just so careless and stupid that he accidentally implied the above at a time of acute sensitivity to s-xism, landing himself in hot water entirely of his own boiling.
We’re not sure which is worse.
I’m looking forward to a journalist with enough courage to ask Mr Abbott that if he rates such experience so highly what is his opinion on Cathlic priests giving marital advice or family planning advice.
Won’t happen tho’ he’s not held to the same standard that the PM is.
Plus I suspect that many journo’s are wary of his physicality
I mean nobody has asked him
does he regard Campbell Newman as a liar given the change in unranium policy.
There is a third explanation and it’s not carelessness or stupidity. The attitudes are so naturalised within Mr Abbott’s experience and thinking that they go under the radar of self-awareness and he is genuinely amazed that anyone takes offence. I have encountered it before in people that hold unquestioned beliefs be they about God, flying saucers, the power of bach remedies or the Fitzroy Football Club.
But the conclusions of the editorial still stand
Your title sums it up -from whichever angle this is viewed he doesn’t have the qualities required of a prime minister.
zut alors, I’m afraid the only ‘qualities’ a person needs to be PM are to be leader of the political party with a majority of seats in the Parliament and just a little bit of chutzpah. Tony Abbott has got the chutzpah about right and, seemingly without doing anything much, is being sleepwalked towards that majority. Maybe the electorate will require some actual runs on the board in the next few months (and that will be fun to watch) but for the time being the formula he adopted two years ago is working quite well. Another six months and a much tightened political sphincter and things will get very interesting. Tony Abbott will have to start taking a few policy risks and his ministerial team will need more exposure – always a ganble when they have spent so much time keeping a low, policy-free profile. Don’t you just love minority government!
This after his channelling of Jones into parliament, on his front bench.