Quite a few people are noting that Abbott was PM for less time than either Rudd or Gillard. Couldn't happen to more deserving embodiment of the Peter Principle.
Let's not forget, Abbott got his party's leadership by waving his finger in the breeze and going with the climate change denying populists of the Right: Bolt, Jones and a host of Murdoch writers. He in fact had never been particularly interested in science, or economics, and his sloganeering tactics ever since he took the top job discredits the idea that he's more than a political opportunist with no idea who to take advice from. He has spent his Prime Ministership with no sense of consistency or principle - the "say anything" PM adjusting his message according to the audience in front of him.
What's worse, he sought legitimacy through the creepy upscaling of the role of the military and paramilitary in day to day government. He shows no remorse or misgivings over the plainly cruel permanent warehousing of men, women and children to deter others from attempting sea entry into Australia; his refusal to support Gillard in attempting the relatively humane Malaysian solution, while now seeking to send people to dirt poor Cambodia, is a stunning case of cynical political opportunism that deserves condemnation. The swathe of secrecy that he has legislated, or co-opted from pliant military figures, regarding the tactics being deployed on the high seas and in his detention centres is an absolute low for open, democratic government in this country. His highly personal attacks on Gillian Triggs and the ABC also showed a somewhat eccentric political thin skin that wasn't so obvious until he became PM.
Going back further in time, don't forget his hidden role in funding action that lead to the jailing of a political problem, Pauline Hanson. People seem too willing to overlook how dirty he has been prepared to get as a political operative.
He may have done some worthy work when a Minister under Howard, but his elevation to leadership has proved to be the long term disaster that even half of his party suspected it may be when he got the job.
I can only say that there was one good thing resulting from his election as PM - the resignation of Kevin Rudd from politics and his poisonous destructive role within Labor. Yeah, thanks for that, Tony. Pity you then had to hang around to prove yourself to be the PM with the least worthy legacy of any in my lifetime.
Let's not forget, Abbott got his party's leadership by waving his finger in the breeze and going with the climate change denying populists of the Right: Bolt, Jones and a host of Murdoch writers. He in fact had never been particularly interested in science, or economics, and his sloganeering tactics ever since he took the top job discredits the idea that he's more than a political opportunist with no idea who to take advice from. He has spent his Prime Ministership with no sense of consistency or principle - the "say anything" PM adjusting his message according to the audience in front of him.
What's worse, he sought legitimacy through the creepy upscaling of the role of the military and paramilitary in day to day government. He shows no remorse or misgivings over the plainly cruel permanent warehousing of men, women and children to deter others from attempting sea entry into Australia; his refusal to support Gillard in attempting the relatively humane Malaysian solution, while now seeking to send people to dirt poor Cambodia, is a stunning case of cynical political opportunism that deserves condemnation. The swathe of secrecy that he has legislated, or co-opted from pliant military figures, regarding the tactics being deployed on the high seas and in his detention centres is an absolute low for open, democratic government in this country. His highly personal attacks on Gillian Triggs and the ABC also showed a somewhat eccentric political thin skin that wasn't so obvious until he became PM.
Going back further in time, don't forget his hidden role in funding action that lead to the jailing of a political problem, Pauline Hanson. People seem too willing to overlook how dirty he has been prepared to get as a political operative.
He may have done some worthy work when a Minister under Howard, but his elevation to leadership has proved to be the long term disaster that even half of his party suspected it may be when he got the job.
I can only say that there was one good thing resulting from his election as PM - the resignation of Kevin Rudd from politics and his poisonous destructive role within Labor. Yeah, thanks for that, Tony. Pity you then had to hang around to prove yourself to be the PM with the least worthy legacy of any in my lifetime.
Andrew Elder was correct.
ReplyDeleteHe is easily the worst PM we have ever seen.
Thank the lord he was not Leader when the GFC hit us.
What did he actually stand for?