Earning respect

By January 28, 2022Australian Politics, Society

Many years ago, the daughter of a family friend started up with a boyfriend who I had not met. They eventually married and had children. One new year’s eve, my family was invited to the family friends’ house for a party. When we arrived, I was the first to get to the door so I knocked and the boyfriend was the one who opened the door. The first thing he said to me was ‘I don’t like your tie’. For someone in their early teens this was enough to demolish any limited self-confidence I had. It was only much later that I realised what this was all about. It was about unsettling me and somehow gaining the upper hand. For him to consider this needed to be done to someone as young as me demonstrates how fragile was his ego. He was a narcissist whose main aim in marrying was to gain a wife as a servant and to have some children. He eventually started using his wife as a punching bag. They separated and divorced soon after. This bloke craved respect but his actions were such that in the longer term, they prevented his obtaining any respect. He eventually became a pariah, not just within the family he married into.

Everyone with even a modicum of interest in the news will have seen Australian of the Year, Grace Tame’s arrival at the Prime Minister’s Lodge for a function prior to the Australian of the Year event. Photographs taken at the arrival show Tame and her fiancé Max Heerey initially shaking hands with Morrison and subsequently standing stony-faced before Tame gave Morrison a disapproving sideways look that one wag called ‘the stink-eye’.

This outraged members of the boys’ club, and some of their female crumb-maidens* in the Liberal Party and the Murdoch media. Murdoch hack, Peter van Onselen called Tame “ungracious, rude and childish, refusing to smile for the cameras, barely acknowledging his [Morrison’s] existence when standing next to him” and suggested that if she felt that way about Morrison, she should not have gone to the event1. On the television show ‘The Project’, on which van Onselen sometimes appears, he was figuratively torn a second anus by Amy Remeikis and the host, Carrie Bickmore over his comments2. One can only imagine what Morrison’s office and his claque in the Murdoch media would have made of Tame not turning up to the event at all as van Onselen had suggested.

Queensland Senator James McGrath, said “The important issues raised by last year’s Australian of the Year [Tame] must continue to be addressed by all of us. It is a pity her behaviour and attacks on our Prime Minister are so partisan, political and childish. If she didn’t like being Australian of the Year she should hand back the honour”3. The important issues raised by Tame, are not being addressed by this government, that is why women are outraged. When women did demonstrate, all Morrison could say was that they were lucky to be in a country where they were not met with bullets4. Such disdain for the issues raised by Tame and others is symptomatic of this government’s attitude to women. McGrath’s call for Tame to relinquish her award is typical of utterances from the simple-minded McGrath, given that Tame handed it over to the 2022 Australian of the year on January 26th, a day or so after McGrath’s whinge.

There are some people who seem to think that Tame should have exhibited respect for the office of Prime Minister5. It is funny how none of these people seem to have been whining about respecting the office of Prime Minister when the then incumbent, Julia Gillard, was called a bitch and a witch6,7, or when the appalling Alan Jones suggested she should be dropped far out to sea and have to “swim home”8, or when Jones suggested Gillard’s recently deceased father had “died of shame”9, or when a quail dish listed on a Liberal Party dinner was named after Julia Gillard and was described as having “small breasts, huge thighs & a big red box”10.

These people only seem to be concerned about respecting the office of Prime Minister when it is their boy who is in the firing line, otherwise, it is never considered a problem. Respect for the office is a furphy designed to prevent criticism of the appalling Morrison. Respect needs to be earned and the way Morrison has debased the office of Prime Minister makes respect ‘for the office’ impossible. He lies constantly11,12,13, whether it be about vaccines14, submarines15,16, rapid antigen tests17, the targeting of Muslims18, the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins19, the alleged rape by Christian Porter20, or climate change21,22

As if this was not enough, Morrison blew through on holidays to Hawaii while large tracts of Australia were burning in one of the worst fire seasons we have ever had, and then instructed his office to lie about where he was. And then he lied about telling Anthony Albanese where he was going23. When he was forced to come back to Australia (only one day early) and after the fires in some parts of the country had declined, he visited the little town of Cobargo in southern New South Wales for a phot op. When there, he forced a young pregnant woman, who lost her home, and a volunteer fire fighter, who was having a breather, to shake his hand as he walked round with his hangers on and his photographer. He was eventually run out of town by angry locals24. When in Parliament, Morrison regularly sits with his back to the opposition speakers and fiddles with his phone, and it seems to be more common when it is a female member of the opposition speaking25.

On top of all this appalling behaviour, Morrison leads the most corrupt government in living memory. When this Coalition government was elected in 2013, Australia was ranked 7th cleanest in the world in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index with a score of 85. By 2017 it had dropped to 13thwith a score of 7726. Since 2017, that decline has continued. Australia’s ranking for 2021 is now 18th, with a score of 73. Those nations with the highest rating are Denmark, Finland and New Zealand who are all ranked equal 1st, with a score of 8827.

Like the bloke at the head of this article, Scott Morrison’s behaviour is such that his actions prevent him from obtaining the respect he craves. He is such an indecent man that this respect will never be forthcoming. Even the politically disengaged are starting to catch on, realising what an appalling liar and con-man he is. He believes that a large proportion of those in the media respect him, but they are his male and female crumb-maidens who believe they will garner some benefit from his incumbency. That is not respect, it is venal self-interest.

*Crumb-maidens: A person (often female) who works to maintain power structures (typically a male power structure) which hurt them and/or their community. They do this in the hope that they can garner some residual benefit (crumbs) for themselves. The term was apparently coined by Amy Remeikis (from the Guardian)28.

Sources

  1. https://twitter.com/Adam_Creighton/status/1485809247376097282
  2. https://womensagenda.com.au/politics/carrie-bickmore-amy-remeikis-tear-pvo-a-new-one-over-irresponsible-and-devastating-grace-tame-comments/
  3. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-25/grace-tame-criticised-for-cold-interaction-with-prime-minister/100781262
  4. https://blotreport.com/2021/03/16/women-are-lucky/
  5. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10437701/Divisive-Australian-Year-Grace-Tame-looks-furious-meets-Scott-Morrison.html
  6. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-03-24/abbott-regrets-abusive-language-used-at-rally/2644254
  7. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-03-24/abbott-wont-apologise-for-climate-rally-abuse/2644630
  8. https://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/episodes/alan-joness-chaff-bag-is-filling-up-fast/9973982
  9. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-30/jones-apologises-for-black-parody-remarks/4288118
  10. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/12/gillard-menu-sexist-liberal-dinner
  11. https://www.crikey.com.au/dossier-of-lies-and-falsehoods/
  12. https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/morrisons-top-10-bare-faced-lies,15787
  13. https://blotreport.com/2021/12/29/an-indecent-man/
  14. https://blotreport.com/2021/01/08/first-or-last/
  15. https://blotreport.com/2021/09/17/sous-marine-merde/
  16. https://blotreport.com/2021/09/19/real-journalism/
  17. https://blotreport.com/2022/01/15/rats-lies-from-joyce-ruston-morrison/
  18. https://blotreport.com/2019/03/24/morrison-reimagines-history/
  19. https://blotreport.com/2021/02/17/did-morrison-almost-tell-the-truth/
  20. https://blotreport.com/2021/03/03/morrison-porter-and-endemic-lying/
  21. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/nov/25/scott-morrison-and-the-big-lie-about-climate-change-does-he-think-were-that-stupid
  22. https://www.crikey.com.au/2021/10/28/net-zero-morrisons-do-nothing-climate-fraud/
  23. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/nov/22/morrison-under-fire-for-falsely-claiming-he-told-albanese-he-was-travelling-to-hawaii-in-2019
  24. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/02/scott-morrison-abused-by-bushfire-victims-in-nsw-town-of-cobargo
  25. https://www.themandarin.com.au/152110-where-does-the-respect-start/
  26. https://blotreport.com/2018/03/10/corruption-in-australia/
  27. https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2021
  28. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Crumb%20Maiden

19 Comments

  • Jon says:

    Grace Tame has more integrity in her little toe than all of her detractors combined. I’m surprised she actually shook Morrison’s hand without wearing gloves. Her disdain for the hollow hypocrite is obvious, and to say he’s earned every bit of it is grossly understating the situation.

    If our politicians had a hundredth of her honesty, integrity, grit and determination this country would be something to behold. Unfortunately too many of them have but a poofteenth. Like Kenneth Hayne QC, Royal Commissioner for the enquiry Morrison said numerous times wasn’t necessary, everyone has their limits.

    More power to your arm Grace.

    • admin says:

      Jon,
      I am constantly impressed by Tame. I saw her at the Australia Day citizenship ceremony a year ago. She was a petite bundle of smiles and is one of the most impressive young people I have seen anywhere, ever. It is hard to imagine she is only 27. She will make a difference.

  • clive pegler says:

    something that the RWNJs seem to have missed …. the event was the Australia Day honours, it just happens to be held at The Lodge. Grace was there in her capacity as 2021 Australian of the Year, to greet the 2022 honours nominees. Grace 𝙒𝘼𝙎 𝙉𝙊𝙏 there for a Scamo photo op! Previous PMs have largely adopted a ‘i’m just here to present the awards’, Scamo seems to have managed to somehow make it about him!

    • admin says:

      Clive,
      He always does make it about him. That has been his method. All photo-op and no substance. That is part of the reason that the Governor General has been almost invisible.

  • Glenn says:

    The look on Tame’s face during that photo-shoot was priceless.

    Morrison has done nothing to address the women problem he has on his side. And to actually suggest that they should be lucky to live in a country where their voices are not met with bullets, it is actually fucking scary that this could happen in Australia if we continue to elect the Liberal government.

    • admin says:

      Glenn,
      If they get re-elected, that is what will eventually happen effectively. Maybe not with bullets, but with litigation, legislation and imprisonment.

  • Russell says:

    Today on news television the vile Morrison was all ear-to-ear false smiles, having erased the grace-ful but untamed former Australian of the Year from his goldfish-style memory, no doubt. With this knuckle dragging deadbeat, each day is his very first. Absolutely all of the previous day’s weird slogans and specious rambling to the media, are wiped from his tiny intellect. “Delete” is the button Scummo presses as he retires for the night, only to arise like a snorting bull in the morning, ready to bore us all with the same idiotic, meaningless tripe as yesterday.

    Today he was at a koala sanctuary, an enthusiastic fan of Aussie wildlife. Yes, resolved to save our furry icon from dying out in mega-fires. “So that these fine creatures don’t perish in fires like we had in late 2019, I’m gonna take a thousand of them with me when I fly to Hawaii on my next holiday”, says our deeply compassionate leader. He cradles a docile koala, its capable claws gripping his shoulders. Had that poor animal but known what mortal danger Morrison’s shitty record on climate represented for all its kinfolk, those same claws may have treated the PM to a demo of their pointiness. Oh the lovely thought……

    • admin says:

      Russell,
      Excellent analogy. He lives his political life like a daily delete. And if anyone believes he is concerned about koalas or corals, I’d like them to contact me as I have a harbour bridge I’d like to sell them. I was hoping the koala would excrete on him.

  • Jon says:

    A couple of things came out of todays news which won’t surprise anyone on this forum.

    The first and most important is Grace’s stunning repudiation of her conservative detractors. Words are powerful in the right hands, sincerity being key. I wonder what Jenny made of these : “The survival of abuse culture is dependent on submissive smiles and self-defeating surrenders. It is dependent on hypocrisy . My past is only relevant to the extent that I have seen — in fact I have worn — the consequences of civility for the sake of civility.What I did wasn’t an act of martyrdom in the gender culture war. It’s true that many women are sick of being told to smile, often by men, for the benefit of men. But it’s not just women who are conditioned to smile and conform to the visibly rotting status-quo. It’s all of us.”

    Amen to that, Grace. Visibly rotting status quo indeed, rotten to the core in some cases.

    The second involves Peter “bat shit crazy” (as labelled by his employer according to reports from a former colleague) van Onselen’s involvement in the now re-emerging text message saga between a (possibly former) cabinet Minister and “no recollection” Berejiklian. Glad, whose memory appears to be very selective, allegedly labelled Morrison a “horrible horrible person” (understatement of the millenium), to which the anonymous Minister replied “complete psycho”.

    Apparently the Minister’s identity is already well known in Morrison’s toxic parliament and cleanskin Beetrooter Barnaby is urging him/her to fess up before the proverbial shit hits the fan.

    • admin says:

      Jon,
      This whine from the RWNJs for civility is just another name for sweeping it all under the carpet, which is what has been happening for millennia. Now, fortunately, that time is coming to an end. And all those little white bread boys are terrified.

    • clive pegler says:

      and now, the cherry on the pie was the SMH publishing Beetrooters leaked text saying that Scamo is a ‘hypocrite & a liar’. While this is hardly a revelation, it is certainly amusing. It’s a tad like some of the bystanders, of that bar room brawl, are supplying the combatants with pre broken glasses.

      • Jon says:

        A rare moment of clarity and sanity from the hypocritical Beetrooter I’d suggest Clive.

        The irony is that the vacuous waffler – a man who is never responsible for anything, is incapable of issuing anything like a sincere apology, and who has never told a lie in public life (roflmao) – accepted Beetrooter’s explanation that while they didn’t get on earlier he had recently grown to see Morrison’s obvious capacity and abilities. I trust Jenny washed his pockets out thoroughly that evening.

        Morrison’s credulousness is probably due to his automated overnight delete script (as noted by others on Blot). He’s obviously “forgotten” his assurance to Turnbull that “I’ve got your back Malcolm” just prior to the decapitation. From memory I think Turnbull’s comment was something like “yeh thanks Scomo” – subtext “I’m in deep doodoo if that’s the case”.

        Morrison is proof that try as you might to polish a turd eventually the stench will become strong enough that even a vassal like Joyce will notice.

Leave a Reply to Jon Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Bitnami