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The Forum > Article Comments > Abbott as PM may surprise everyone > Comments

Abbott as PM may surprise everyone : Comments

By Murray Hunter, published 10/9/2013

Although Abbott has been in public life for almost 20 years, he is still a paradoxical mystery.

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Abbott went to the election with no policies beyond slashing aid and torturing refugees.

His first act is to sack Steve Bracks, as if that will help one thing.

He is now and will remain a small minded, narrow minded bigoted racist.
Posted by Marilyn Shepherd, Tuesday, 10 September 2013 11:43:17 AM
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Gee Marilyn, was your morning lemon particularly sour today?

I'd offer you some sugar for it, but I've heard some pills can't be sugar coated, so I guess it wouldn't help you.

Go Tony, start getting us back on course, but don't expect anything good from the sour brigade. Those like Marilyn would still hate you, even if you brought in a hundred thousand of her beloved boat people a year.
Posted by Hasbeen, Tuesday, 10 September 2013 1:08:07 PM
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Up close and personal Abbott does to seem to be a decent man. As I do not watch TV, listen to the radio or watch politicians strut their stuff on the internet I have never heard him speak or seen him in action.
But what does he really represent? Or what is the nature of the beast for/of which he is just a puppet?
It seems to me that he represents the now dominant neo-psychotic world-view manufactured by the right-wing think tanks as described in the various books by Sharon Beder, namely:
1. Selling the Work Ethic - From Puritan Pulpit To Corporate PR
2. Global Spin - The Corporate Assault on Environmentalism
3. Suiting Themselves - How Corporations Drive the Global Agenda
I would include the hugely big power-and-control-seeking corporation called the "catholic" church in this category
4. Free Market Missionaries - The Corporate Manipulation of Community Values
5. This Little Kiddy Went To Market - The Corporate Capture of Childhood

The outfits involved in creating this world-view were of course responsible for the phenomenon described by Naomi Klein in her truth-telling book The Shock Doctrine.

Tony and his ideological fellow travellers promote as a cultural necessity and even virtue, everything described as toxic and destructive of both human culture and the environment as described on the website Nature Bats Last (plus similar sites too). And in the work of Henry Giroux via books such as Zombie Politics & Culture in the Age of Casino Capitalism, and a recent essay titled The Politics of Cruelty America's Descent Into Madness. Although this essay is about the USA its themes are also applicable to the rest of the world too, including the land of Oz.

Also an essay by Robinson titled Global Capitalism and the Crisis of Humanity - an essay which criticises everything that Tony and the right-wing think tanks promote.
Posted by Daffy Duck, Tuesday, 10 September 2013 1:29:39 PM
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I look forward to selected readings from the Bible now, for all of us to abide by, Tony is a Catholic, lets not forget that.
Posted by Ojnab, Tuesday, 10 September 2013 2:52:01 PM
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Hi Murray, I find it curious that most of the commentators, hate peddlers and Hasbeen’s “sour brigade” make derogatory comments about somebody they don’t actually know.

I suspect most of us don’t know Tony Abbott well enough, close enough or personally enough to answer the most stupid question ever asked, which is “who would make better PM”, when TA has never actually been PM?

So one has to ask from where the nasty brigade gets their angry opinions from. Is it something political that he represents, is it the policies he stands for, is it envy of his education or the stable, community minded family man he appears to represent?

What is it about TA that represents a sufficient threat to generate such adolescent anger and abuse?

So many times we hear him accused of “slashing aid and torturing refugees” and being accused as a “small minded, narrow minded bigoted racist”. This from people who have absolutely no idea who or what the real TA is.

What in our society has caused these social aberrations to form such dysfunctional perceptions? How do they go about their normal lives as balanced and contributing members of our society?

I think the cause is a sad and dangerous combination of very poor education, total lack of social skills, the embrace of victimhood, the vulnerability of those dependent upon someone else’s opinion, those who are incapable of forming their own perspectives and those who cannot separate ideological spin from reality.

In the end I doubt TA, his administration or his policies, regardless of how well he performs, will have any positive impact on this generation. They are not actually angry at TA, they are angry within themselves because they simply do not fit into our 21st century society and they know it.

They are victims of the Twitter, Facebook and Google syndrome. More importantly, they are victims of the progressive media who are likewise angry and have directed the anger and frustration of the dysfunctional at what they see as a threat to their ideology.

God help these generational misfits.
Posted by spindoc, Tuesday, 10 September 2013 3:27:30 PM
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God help these generation misfits, Spindoc you are clearly one of them as well, each and every one of us have our own opinions, so respect them, from my point of view, your first word God does absolutely nothing for me as I do not believe in man made supernatural beings,you obviously do and I respect that opinion and I must be allowed the same,as long as TA passes legislation through Parliament to what the community feels is right for them I will be a very happy person, but if his religious upbringing stops him from passing laws such as Gay marriage then to my mind he is bringing religion into Parliament, we do not need that.
Posted by Ojnab, Tuesday, 10 September 2013 6:09:23 PM
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Hi Ojnab,

Are you Banjo in another reality?

I don’t believe in God, it’s just an expression of exasperation.

I respect your right to express your opinion; I don’t support your right for your opinion to be right.

You support TA as long as he passes legislation through parliament that the community feels is right. I think the election just did that, unless of course you have a different interpretation of “the community”. In which case if you can’t agree with the democratic wishes of the community that makes YOU wrong.
Posted by spindoc, Tuesday, 10 September 2013 6:24:17 PM
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Abbott went to an election on torturing refugees, punishing the poor and helping out the rich.
Posted by Marilyn Shepherd, Tuesday, 10 September 2013 7:00:51 PM
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I don't know if 'surprise' is quite the term to use. Try 'shock and awe'.

The ABC - sold. Commonwealth Public Service - decimated. Minimum wage - disappeared. Social safety net - torn to shreds. Unemployed - brutalised. Public assets - given away to mates. The NBN - made unworkable then dug up (come in, Foxtel). Public and social infrastructure - starved of funding and left to run down. Law and order - back on centre stage. Dissent - crushed. Military spending - escalated. Surveillance - all-pervasive (come in, NSA).

I feel relaxed and comfortable already.
Posted by Killarney, Tuesday, 10 September 2013 11:07:42 PM
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Oh yes please Killarney, well about half of it anyway. Unfortunately, as usual, you are completely wrong.

Abbott is going to be very much softer than you think, & a damn sight softer than he probably needs to be for the good of the country in 10 years time.

Unless treasury trots out a new bunch of figures, a likely scenario, showing how many problems were being kept hidden, I expect many who voted for him are going to be a bit disappointed at how little slash & burn there will be.

Time will tell, but I'll have a little wager with you, that I will be more disappointed with the lack of reform, than you will be vindicated in your antipathy.
Posted by Hasbeen, Tuesday, 10 September 2013 11:50:08 PM
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Marilyn, Duffy
But you’re against freedom, remember? According to you, government ipso facto represents the greater good, and rights are only whatever the government says they are, remember?

You can’t have it both ways. Obviously if you support threatening to kill people to pay for the ABC, and all your thieving handouts, then you have no ground whatsoever for complaining when government does exactly what you claim is the basis of the good society.

Spindoc
"What in our society has caused these social aberrations to form such dysfunctional perceptions? "

What's causing this hateful outburst, this lying, this warped delusions, this total confusion of what is moral with what is forced, is government. The reason is that, since government itself is based on a monopoly of aggressive force, governments have an interest in spreading confusion through the population about the nature of government, and moral confusion about their aggression.

These nasty violent lying statist zealots have swallowed it whole, and they've been brainwashed into thinking:
a) that the government is the source of all goods, both moral and economic;
b) that the state is some kind of benevolent institution, god-like in its wisdom, and immaculate in its conception
c) that aggressive violence by the state is actually consensual decision-making
d) that peaceable voluntary consensual social relations are anti-social
e) that there is no such thing as truth; there is only "ideology"
f) that if there is any problem or shortage, government is responsible for fixing it up or supplying it
g) that government magically confers benefits with no costs
h) that anything that the government says is ipso facto true
i) that they are justified in using aggressive violence to get what they want; it is the basis of civilisation.

That's why Marilyn and Daffy feel no shame at the blatant dishonesty of what they say. They've been taught that it's okay to lie if you're doing it to support unlimited government
Posted by Jardine K. Jardine, Wednesday, 11 September 2013 12:14:06 AM
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Of course the remedy for everything they're crying about is to pay for the things voluntarily that they want everyone else to be killed to pay for - gee Marilyn, this hyperbole stuff is easy! Only difference is, you genuinely do support threatening to kill people because that's the basis of the funding for EVERYTHING that the left wing wants because your statist ideology is intrinsically based on force.

As for the ABC, if you leftists want to have your own nauseating propaganda channel - PAY FOR IT YOURSELVES. The sooner the ABC is abolished the better; a disgraceful clarion of blatant partisan bias. They've stopped even pretending to present a balanced or objective view. For example their one of the election commentary programs advertised 4 left wing socialists fascists and a right wing socialist fascist. Why should everyone else be forced to pay for your nutty religious devotions?

Go spew your ignorant hatred somewhere else – and pay for your own values you hypocrites!
Posted by Jardine K. Jardine, Wednesday, 11 September 2013 12:18:44 AM
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JKJ,

"Go spew your ignorant hatred somewhere else ..."

Why don't you take your own advice?...You've sprayed enough of it around here.

...................

Interesting that the "budget emergency" seems to call for a parliamentary recall in November.

Also interesting that the first act of this government was to revoke Bracks' posting.....petty and vindictive, childish payback.
Posted by Poirot, Wednesday, 11 September 2013 12:27:05 AM
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An interesting and informative article, sadly maligned by the usual anti-conservative bigots and vested-interest one-thought brigade.

I would have expected better, but OLO is always full of surprises - including the ludicrous ones, unfortunately.
Posted by Saltpetre, Wednesday, 11 September 2013 1:44:25 AM
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Hasbeen

‘Unless treasury trots out a new bunch of figures …’

Waddya mean ‘unless’?

Of COURSE they’ll trot out a new bunch of figures! That’s standard procedure of incoming Coalition governments – to show what a bunch of wasteful spendthrifts Labor governments are.

I recommend Peter Costello for the job. His rates are very reasonable too - $4000 in the hand, just to turn up, and then $3500 per day plus GST and expenses, plus his pick of a team of like-minded colleagues who will charge similarly.

It should only take them about 6 months to write a report that tells us the previous government spent too much money. Much better use of the taxpayer purse than hiring someone who might tell them the truth. Just goes to show what good financial managers they are.
Posted by Killarney, Wednesday, 11 September 2013 4:05:59 AM
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Phoney Abbott would win the prize for becoming the World's Most Uninspiring Leader hands-down!

Australia, under his 'leadership', will be seen as a country of slow-speaking ferals and American sycophants.

What did we Australians do to deserve this leaden anchor around our neck?

Malcolm, where are you?
Posted by David G, Wednesday, 11 September 2013 10:06:53 AM
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Time to grow up David.

Obama inspired a whole mass of silly kids & lefties in the states, & look what a total failure he proved to be.

I require no inspiration thank you, that is for fools. I want good management, the thing that is always lacking in inspirational so called leaders.

Bet you were inspired by both Obama & Rudd.
Posted by Hasbeen, Wednesday, 11 September 2013 11:56:54 AM
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