Sunday 28th of April 2024
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macho or mincing .....

macho or mincing .....

Opposition frontbencher Tony Abbott has branded Kevin Rudd "the worst parliamentary performer as Prime Minister since Billy McMahon" as the Government and Opposition continue to spar over their respective performances in Federal Parliament.

Speaking to Sky News this morning, Mr Abbott was on the attack over Mr Rudd's parliamentary style.

"The guy is a toxic bore in the Parliament, and thank God you [Labor] have got [Julia] Gillard there," he said.

In Parliament yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Ms Gillard described Mr Abbott as a Cold Chisel-loving, macho man with the tenacity of a doberman, in a comical attempt to put down the new leader of Opposition business Christopher Pyne.

"In a choice between macho and mincing I would have gone for macho myself," she said.

"Obviously the Leader of the Opposition, faced with the choice of a doberman or a poodle, has gone for the poodle."

National Party senator Barnaby Joyce says Ms Gillard's remarks have crossed the line.

Senator Joyce says if a member of the Opposition had made such a remark, there would have been public outrage.

"When you start comparing people to animals and dogs, and you know exactly the metaphor you're using, and you know how it's read, and you deal with that smirk on your face, then you've crossed the line," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/24/2499813.htm

factional turbullium delirium...

From Ross Gittins The SMH

....

It seems clear from a speech Turnbull gave in January that he - a man who as Liberal environment minister showed every sign of being genuine in his support for an emissions trading scheme - is now casting around for an excuse to oppose such a scheme.

He's laying the ground to claim he's opposing it because it's too tough and not tough enough at the same time. He'll give the first story to business and the second to the public. It really is sad to see a man of his intellect and leadership potential tearing up his credibility before our eyes, doing his Brendan Nelson impressions as he ducks and weaves to find something, anything to criticise.

His problem is that, in opposition, the Coalition has become ungovernable. Under the populist leadership of Barnaby Joyce (I have to remind myself not to call him Barnaby Rudge) the Nationals will vote against the scheme whatever the Libs decide.

The parliamentary Liberals have divided into left and right factions, with the right led by climate-change deniers.

The only way Turnbull can watch his back and hold the rabble together is to keep opposing whatever the Government proposes. Unfortunately, being so relentlessly negative - and so clearly unguided by principle - isn't a smart way to get yourself elected.

And then there are all those useless economists, endlessly arguing the toss between pollution taxes and emissions trading schemes - whichever way you jump they'll hanker after the other way - while the opportunity to act slips away. Thanks a bunch, guys.

see toon at top

ahem...

It has been reported that Turnbull has pointed out in a newspaper article that Kev is the "richest PM Australia ever had"... as if it was a sin...

Sure, but did I hear anyone say that should Turnbull be PM he would even be richer than Kev, by forty to one... or more, unless the present world financial debacle has rubbed out his little nest egg. I don't think so... Thus our Malcolm is "the richest opposition leader Australia ever had"...

And yes we can have a beef about Kev's "family" making some dough by running a private employment agency — part of the former CES that used to be run by the government and split into a multitude of such agencies... The CES of course was flogged off by the Howard (turnbull's "former leader") former government to mostly charitable organisations, in a grand dereliction of civic duty...

mmmmmm....