Tony on a Short Leash

Posted by Mika on Aug 9, 2010 in Australian Politics, Election '10 | 1 comment

Australian Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is in high campaign mode against the newly enthroned Prime Minister Julia Gillard. The stakes are high, Gillard is Australia’s first female PM, and she may very well get Kim Campbell-ed by Abbott’s Liberals (who are actually the more conservative party in Australia). This all depends on the Liberal’s ability to contain the Father Tony’s frequent outbursts of misogyny, homophobia, stupidity, and well, honesty.

The Australian Daily Telegraph has very amusing article by Claire Harvey about the lengths the Liberals go to contain their candidate, the 52 year old former priest who allows the spittle to fly freely during political speeches, who loves any occasion to take off his shirt, and who occasionally greets young women with a firm pat on the rear. At the press event Harvey covered, a fair in south-east Queensland, Father Tony was under very strict rules. No ponies, no goats, and for God’s sake no children. These are all recipes for disaster. Unfortunately they forgot to instate “no talking” and this happened:

The questions soon turn to the fact Gillard has decided she would, after all, like to have another televised debate with him.

“Are you suggesting to me that when it comes to Julia, no doesn’t mean no?” Abbott says. He repeats the phrase another three times.

Is this a cheap scandal: yes, but it’s not like he was set up. That just came out of him, it was organic, it’s just the sort of thing that Tony Abbott likes to say.

That’s the Real Tony whom the Liberals are now trying to contain: the man who once said climate change was “absolute crap”, who said virginity was a young woman’s “greatest gift”, who admitted he sometimes doesn’t tell the whole truth in the heat of debate.

How long can you hold a guy like Tony down? The election is in two weeks, and despite a significant lack of female support, looks like he just might make it if they can only keep his personality in check, but what about after the election? Who’s going to meticulously handle the Prime Minister? Who’s going to babysit him during meetings with other international leaders? Who will wipe the spittle from his mouth when he is in front of the foreign press? It’s an admirable effort on his handlers part, but I don’t see how Father Tony is worth it.

Related posts:

1. Spin Falls Short