The Australian polity is currently going through another spasm of the tired old cliche of "adult" government, but surely it has hit a nadir of stupidity with Christopher Pyne actually dropping the C-bomb in insulting the Opposition Leader at the dispatch box in federal Parliament.
Of course he denied it, but in the age of social media and instant video uploads it has been preserved for eternity. This, after Pyne spent an entire 7:30 interview last night trying in desperation to claim that federal-state relations were all about treating states like adults, which apparently means starving them of revenue like Oliver Twist and forcing them to ask for some more GST.
Without descending into metaphor, it can be said that Pyne is the most foolish federal politician in a generation. After completely bungling the Gonski rollback, he should have been kicked to the backbench where he could do less damage. But no, this is the South Australian Liberal Party where Pyne follows in a long line of privileged dilettante Liberal failures.
The meme of "adult" government is, quite literally, paternalistic, with all the negative connotations of that word. Public services are not a T-Bird, and Tony Abbott is not your daddy about to take it away. The Liberals in government have shown no maturity of thought or action to merit such self-praise.
I would have thought the ALP would erupt if he said that. are you sure?
ReplyDeleteHe said it, it's right there in the clip. Shorten wouldn't dignify it with a direct response.
ReplyDeletem0nty,
ReplyDeleteI do not think it is that clear and he says it right in front of Shorten and Bishop.
the ALP could have made merry hay with it. They did not and the only reason why not is because he did not say it.
Labor's reticence to do anything at all beyond the most feeble of protestations at the Abbott agenda is curious, but says more about their own organisational ennui than anything the Liberals have said or done.
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