On June 28, Prime Minister Scott Morrison advocated that people under 60 should get the AstraZeneca vaccine, simply in an attempt to make the vaccine ‘strollout’ look like less of a shemozzle. As is common with most of those in government, the cost to the general populace is immaterial if Morrison believes that some benefit can accrue to him. His advocacy went against the advice of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) who have stated that the AstraZeneca vaccine should only be given to people over 60, unless otherwise necessary1.
In recent days, two people in their 40s have died after receiving their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine; a Victorian woman of 48 and a Tasmanian man of 44. This brings to 5 the number of dead in Australia from thrombosis with thrombocytopaenia syndrome (TTS) and all are linked to their receipt of the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine2.
Morrison responded when asked about this by saying that he felt for the families, but added “We’re all responsible for our own health, and when it comes to informed consent and giving consent to whatever treatment or procedure you may have, or I may have, then I am ultimately responsible for what people do in their health treatment to me.” Then in an attempt to absolve himself of any responsibility, he followed this with “The AstraZeneca vaccine is approved by the TGA for people above the age of 18, but there is an informed consent process.”3 Of course, when Morrison was vaccinated earlier this year, he was given the Pfizer vaccine.
Whatever he does, and whatever he says, are solely for his benefit, including the word salads he utters. If something goes wrong because of his actions or lack of them, it is always someone else who is to blame. Morrison shifts blame like no politician I have ever seen before, except for Donald Trump. Perhaps that is telling.
Sources
Morrison is echoing Turnbull with flip-flop after flip-flop. His latest wisdom is that vaccination isn’t going to solve the Covid problem, lockdowns are, in an obvious attempt to shift blame and attention from his and his government’s failures. Previously vaccination was going to be the panacea for all our ills (but it wasn’t a race) and we needed to open up and live with the virus. I wonder if we’ll hear his echo Nick Coatsworth criticising him like he did ATAGI (#sarcasm).
Coatsworth’s hypocrisy is appalling. He claims that ATAGI members aren’t qualified, don’t know what they’re saying wrt AZ, and will be responsible for deaths. Meanwhile he’s swanning around mask-less in ads saying ‘we aren’t safe until we’re all safe’ – wrongly giving the impression that vaccination is going to protect everybody, in full knowledge that the data/science says otherwise, that many peoople can’t have the vaccination for medical reasons, and that there aren’t adequate supplies of vaccines due to his mate’s fcuk ups. Meanwhile new data is reinforcing early information that vaccination doesn’t prevent re-infection or transmission.
Jon,
When I think of Morrison, I am often reminded of the epithet ‘headless chicken’.
Found this link on blunt “discussion” of narcissist Morrison’s pathetic Horizon church peroration which at least some will enjoy. Not for the delicate, but right on the mark about this blight on our political history, and his mates in the prosperity religion industry. Here’s a couple of examples:
“Wow. The only time he has ever shown a shred of emotion and it’s for himself. Just get f…ed Scomo.” “As a Catholic I can assure you that Jesus’ main message was don’t be a cu.. and that idea has totally escaped Scott Morrison.”
Came across the comments after googling Morrison and see you next tuesday (as you do) following his latest set of lies and denials of responsibility in parliament, and yet more pathetic self-pity (loved Shorten’s demolition of Morrison’s remarks – see below).
https://www.reddit.com/r/australia/comments/uv61fc/scott_morrison_sheds_tears_as_he_gives_last_prime/
Bill Shorten’s takedown (article by 9news’ Daniel Jeffrey):
Bill Shorten has delivered a stinging rebuke to Scott Morrison over his response to the robodebt royal commission, calling the former prime minister a “bottomless well of self-pity”. The current government services minister, Shorten was scathing of Morrison, who on Monday told parliament that the findings against him were unsubstantiated.
“The purpose of that statement was to frame himself as the real victim of the robodebt royal commission,” Shorten told question time on Tuesday. The Member for Cook (Morrison) said, and I quote, “that in making their finding, the commission sought to reverse the onus of proof to establish their claim.”
“Satire is truly dead in this country, when the Member for Cook complains about the reversal of onus of proof on him, but not the 434,000 people who did have their reverse onus.
“And the Member for Cook then said the royal commission was a quasi-legal process, a new Morrisonian doctrine about the law. The royal commission was not quasi-legal. It’s real. It was constituted by the law. Forty-six days of public hearings, over 100 witnesses under oath…
“The victims of robodebt never had their legal costs paid for. Never had the chance to see the evidence put against them.
“The Member for Cook is a bottomless well of self-pity and not a drop of mercy for all of the real victims of robodebt.”
Thanks Bill. It’s a great pity that the Reddit comments linked above aren’t also recorded in Hansard so future generations can get a flavour of the real character of this hypocrite and his “government”.
Btw – do others get the reverse search on this website? Eg, to search for Blot articles on morrison I had to enter nosirrom. This made me curious (okay maybe too much so at times) as to whether norissom was a word or name in any language/culture, so I googled….
And lo and behold it’s a name based in fantasy. How apt is that? But wait there’s more….
One website suggests about norissom that: “above all people with this name [nosirrom] place their trust into logical thinking. They are conscientious, diligent, dependable and real action takers. Their great love for details usually results in co-workers estimating them very highly. Praising yourself is however not something you would ever do.”
I kid you not. This is almost a perfect example of the Bizarro World where fictional comic book characters are the imperfect reverse of their “Earthly” counterparts and where irony would be considered genuineness (for example).
As Bruce McAvaney would say – ‘Delicious’.
Jon,
Appropriately, the complete antithesis to the skidmark on the body politick that Morrison was.
norissom —-> nosirrom (blush).
Apparently there is such a thing a moss iron. It’s used in bonsai, which my father was an expert in oddly enough. Cue X Files music…………