Tag: Julia Gillard

Slip up …

Shame, really …

Julia made an impassioned attack on the AbbottAbbottAbbott for his misogyny in her passionate defence of the nice Mr. Slipper. The government stood firm at her back, the filthy AbbottAbbottAbbott must go, the nice Mr. Slipper must return. The usual independents agreed.

You’ve got to feel sorry for the lovely Julia, attacked for nothing more than being a woman.

And admire the way she came out swinging … the defiant victim of sexism taking back the night … and the nice Mr. Slipper.

Oh, Mr. Slipper has resigned.

I guess that’s what happens when you flex your mussel … instead of your brain.

Freedom to abuse …

Alan Jones has shot himself in the foot and the ricochet has hurt the cause that he holds dear. What a noodle.

That the prime minister is a liar is news to no one, to bring her father into the debate is pointless.  The pain of losing a loved parent is great, to trespass upon that loss is insensitive, ill-considered, bad manners and really bad strategy. I’m sure Mr Jones regrets his utterance. That he tries to shift the blame to those who recorded and disseminated his words just makes him look weaker. He is not the first person to blame others for his own stupidity, I’m sure he’ll get all the sympathy he deserves for that.

Trust the government, though, to call for his punishment, to use this issue as another excuse to attack freedom of speech.

The freedom to say only what the government wants to hear is no freedom at all.

And this would appear to be a very good case for letting free speech have its head. Intemperate and ill-considered speech rebounds on the speaker.