Monday 28 February 2011

The Abbott Monologues: a shrill man falls foul of Shakespeare and history


Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is nothing if not predictable – back with his great big new tax on everything mantra and a time wasting censure motion on the last parliamentary sitting day of the week which inevitably fails to get up.

This week's obviously rehearsed sound bite was; She has never seen a tax she did not like. She has never seen a tax she would not hike. Unfortunately the contrived nature of this utterance was exposed by the grinning backbencher sitting immediately him in the House clearly mouthing the words along with his leader.

Last Thursday’s very shrill effort during Question Time also saw the inevitable botching of detail as Abbott got carried away for the benefit of cameras and media.

Though this time one of the wonky details came from a surprising source. Waxing lyrical when speaking of Prime Minister Julia Gillard, he cried “Out, out foul spot” when supposedly quoting from Shakespeare’s play Lady Macbeth.

Of course Year 10 high school students would be able to tell him that the spot was not foul but damned and, although Lady Macbeth was a notorious sleepwalker she was not given to stuttering.

But then, at the beginning of this week Abbott obviously thought a form of modern government existed in New South Wales during the time William Bligh when he attempted a comparison with the Keneally Government. Bligh of course as a military governor of a British colony was virtually an absolute local ruler answerable only to the British Parliament. He had long left the colony by the time a legislature came into being. Abbott also appears to believe that it was definitely warmer when Jesus allegedly walked the earth than it is today.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

When is the man
going to be portrayed by the MSM as he really is. I am sure if the Coalition won the last election, the man would not have survived long. Some of his promises were too dangerous for the wellbeing of the country and many people in it.

Patricia WA said...

Oh Yea of Little Faith!

Tony Abbott know's he's right!
Science and historical research
Will not convince him, despite
The climate data you all cite!
From studies of the ancient church,
Reading holy scriptures,
In writings and in pictures
He's seen those images of Roman times.
Invaders of the holy lands,
Shod in sandals, in short skirts,
Helmeted and holding shields,
Swords in bare brown arms and hands,
They had no need of shirts.
That's the truth his memory yields.
All that heat and dust and blood,
Mothers clinging to their babies,
The screams and all the killing!
Yes, terrible, but somehow thrilling.

Of course it was as hot as Hades!

clarencegirl said...

:-D Loved the poem!