Tony Abbott is a tool of the highest order, but I find myself in a position of actual defending the little prick, and I hate it.
I remember the dim dark distant past when reading The Age would get me angry for the right reasons. Back then I got angry about the events the talented journalists at The Age were reporting; now I just get enraged by the news they are attempting to manufacture. Someone should explain to them that there is a difference between media and journalism. Smarmy twats.
Anyway, two days before the release of this month’s Women’s Weekly (yes I know, but stick with me) the media was going OFF about the supposed contents of their interview with Tony Abbot.
The Age website titillates you with this: Tony Abbott's sex instruction: Don't. Opposition Leader says women should try to remain virgins until marriage so that you can click through to an article entitled: Abbott stands by 'virginity' comments. Before you’ve even clicked on the link (which you definitely will, it’s about SEX!!) they’ve already established that the Mad Monk has been up to his Crazy Catholic antics again, and everyone but George Pell and the denizens of Hillsong are ready to crucify him.
Anyone who gets as far as reading the entire article will find that in fact, Abbott did not give any instructions about sex before marriage, he said that he hopes his daughters would wait, but, if they didn't, that they would be careful. Or something along those lines. So? Is this something we didn’t already know about him? Does anyone really have more than a passing interest in what he believes is best for his daughters? If there was the slightest hint that Abbott was intending to legislate along these lines then hell yes, scream from the rooftops, I’ll lend you my megaphone, but if he was just stating his personal beliefs, and if he qualified the statement with by saying that this is emphatically NOT something he will try to legislate, then it’s a non story.
Abbot specifically said in an interview on 3AW on Tuesday that he is “not tyring to be prescriptive” that these answers were given after “an hour long grilling by the WW editor”. He was also quite clearly that "I have a very chequered past and I don't claim to be an exemplar of virtue in any way".
The Age article quoted him as saying "I think all of us should act in ways that value ourselves. I'm trying not to be prescriptive here, I am trying not to be a preacher, but if someone asks my advice I would say don't do anything you will live to regret if you can possibly help it”. How does that relate in any way to the lead-in to this story, other than to completely discredit it?
He has apparantly told his daughter that "they shouldn't give themselves away lightly". His advice to males? "Much the same - treat people with respect and don't act in ways that demean other people”.
I dislike almost everything about Tony Abbott, but if someone were to say these things to my children, or anyone else’s children, I could only hope that the message got through and was taken to heart.
The article in The Age closes with the following sentence: Age columnist Catherine Deveny in a debate last year told Mr Abbott: ''Get your rosaries off my ovaries".'
So? What the FUCK does that have to do with anything? If Deveny’s well-publicised dislike of Abbott is their clinching argument then I may even consider voting for him.
Ok, well, no, it’s not going to go that far, but WHY is it such a non-story such a big story? Why aren’t there a pack of journalists hounding Abbot about his stance on tax reform, foreign relations, and by the way has he got ANYTHING to say about the environment? What is he going to do to fix the health care system? What plans does he have for education? Is he going to promote Intelligent Design in schools? No I don’t care how much he wants to sook about Kevin Rudd, what plans does he have to get Australia troops out of Afghanistan? What about infrastructure? Does he have any plans to work with state governments to fix transport, water and hospitals? If he hasn’t got an answer on any of these, why not? When will he?
Ask those questions, report on the answers, or the lack of them. Then get the hell out of his daughter’s bedroom and start trying to remember that you are meant to be journalists not Perez Hilton wannabes.
Follow Up: Such was my outrage about this story that I went to the extraordinary lengths of buy a copy of the Woman’s Weekly today and read the whole Tony Abbot love fest article. It made me vomit in my mouth a little bit, but it did not at any point, quote Abbott giving instructions about pre-marital sex (ewww - that could have been worded better). The whole story was a non-story created by the media.
I wouldn’t even mind so much if it was a partisan attempt to swat the liberal party by lefty dominated media outlet; that’s politics. But it wasn’t, there was no agenda, there was no plan or reason behind it, it was just sensationalism for sensationalisms sake.
Off to the naughty corner again The Age, and while you’re there write out 1000 times: This is why we can’t sell newspapers anymore.
Direct quotes on the push-button issues from the WW interview:
Abortion
“I have never suggested that it should be re-criminalised. All I have ever said was that I would like to see fewer abortions.”
Sex before marriage
“I would say to my daughters, if they were to ask me this question, I would say … it is the greatest gift that you can give someone, the ultimate gift of giving and don’t give it to someone lightly, that is what I would say.”
Gay marriage
“There is nothing wrong in the slightest, nothing at all wrong with same-sex couples wanting, I guess, to celebrate their commitment to each other. That is a good thing, not a bad thing. But I do think there is a difference [in a relationship] between a man and a woman, and being open to kids.”
Alcohol:
“from time to time, I had far too much to drink as a youngster and occasionally even now I will have too much to drinking so I inevitably have to say, “do as I say because sometimes I will break my own rules”.
Drugs
“To be sociable, I puffed on a marijuana cigarette, but I didn’t inhale – I don’t even inhale normal cigarettes. I just hate the idea of drawing smoke into my lungs, so … when it comes to getting stoned in that way, I was a complete failure.”
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