Poisoning the well of our good nature

Julia Gillard's earlobes, Tony Abbott's budgie-smugglers.
Is discussion about politicians' appearance getting too personal?
• Yes, it's irrelevant 81.83% (5440 votes)
• No, it's fair game 18.17% (1208 votes)
Total votes: 6648

It was about the time that this poll came out, beside the now infamous story that accompanied it, which was written by Kate Legge and which featured prominently on the front page of The Australian in the run-up to the 2010 Federal election, just as Julia Gillard was attempting to get traction in the campaign and assume more political gravitas after having deposed Kevin Rudd from the top job of Prime Minister, that the thought occurred to me that this type of tactic, by a crusading newspaper and its editor, who were obviously rooting for the other side in the political contest, was the most extreme manifestation up until that day of a journalistic device which has been employed more and more, and to greater and more devastating effect lately by the Murdoch media mainly, and then copied by others, around the world. That is, in this visually-charged and clogged era in politics, editors and publishers have discovered a new way to 'Poison the Well' of our political discourse, by employing a new paradigm of political character assassination and degradation that focuses, almost literally in a photographic sense, on the physical attributes of politicians, and then casts aspersions about their character as a function of, and around that. [more]

This, 'Image Assassination', especially appears to have coincided with the rise to political prominence of female politicians, and has become another tool in the journalists/editor's armoury when they seek to delegitimise a politician in the eyes of the electorate, or, more aptly in this instance, the 'Viewing Public'. It certainly adds another arrow to their quiver, at the very least.

Now, to be fair, I'm not saying that, “Boo Hoo, Julia Gillard is hardly done by because of it, and all journos should 'cease and desist forthwith'," as I also know that, going as far back as the Roman Empire, and probably even to cavemen and women, people's appearance has always been a source of art and commentary.

Look at the poll I put up at the top of the blog, Tony Abbott's Budgie Smugglers are mentioned too. I mean, where would 'First Dog On the Moon' cartoons be without them?

Nevertheless, whilst we are all content to attempt to rip into each other's 'persona non grata' politicians, and, I am as guilty as the next person of this, has it gone too far now? Is it 'Poisoning the Well'?

Is it really time for more civility in our political discourse, or should we just continue to 'let it rip', adapt or die?

For example, here's a photo of Ms Legge: As you can see, she is no oil painting herself. She has barely-controlled buck teeth, and a nose like a pig's snout. Now, would it have been the proper course of action for us here on the blogs to read the article, then give her a dose of her own medicine back, as an instant antidote to that article, using all the tools at our disposal nowadays? Or, attack the lack of substance in her critique of the Prime Minister by commenting from a higher plane, out of the gutter; attack her back in kind; or maintain a dignified silence and not pay her piece any attention in the hope that it will dry up and blow away into the dustbin of journalism where it belongs?

I mean, whenever that modern day icon of the visuo-political age, Sarah Palin, comes in for criticism from her political opponents she uses all the social media and Mainstream Media tools at her disposal to get back on the front foot ASAP in the rolling political debate, as opposed to curling up in a little ball, embarrassed at the scrutiny. Not that she suffers from much in the way of physical imperfections that an embarrassing critique can be hung on by a journalist so-inclined. However, the general point still stands. The approach she takes to criticism seems to work very well for her (even if no one yet takes her particularly seriously in a political sense, she has yet to be totally delegitimised because of it).

Now, in the hands of a politician of intellectual substance, could not this tactic be put to devastating effect, co-ordinating it with help from supporters in the blogosphere, as outlined above, in order to have a devastating effect on disarming critics such as Kate Legge and Niki Savva, when they try to slice and dice you on the front page of national newspapers? Fight Murdoch media machine fire with fire. Do you think that's valid?

It also occurred to me that the seeds of this era of media invective go back to the overwhelming success of a Hollywood movie called 'Mean Girls'.   

It was one of those movies that come along every so often that are capable of changing the zeitgeist in a measurable way. Just reading back some of the quotable quotes from the movie, it gives you a flavour of the times which have followed, whereupon the rise of catty comment and overt superficiality, viz the return of the 'Girly Girl', occurred.

As far as I can divine it in hindsight, with respect to politics particularly, prior to this time political campaigns and the media which attended them, focussed on portraying ways in which one candidate was better or worse than than the other. Especially in campaigns, the ads had a White Knight vs Black Knight quality about them. So did the media copy. Following which, the electorate made their decisions based upon all the ads and assessments they had seen as to who they thought would best represent them. Plus they gathered up policy information.

Since that time in the early 90s, when the 'Mean Girls' paradigm shift occurred, politics has come with a free character assessment from opponents in the political sphere and the media. To the point where we now have the 'Visual Assessment', pithily put. As if that had anything substantive to do with the calibre of the politician.

However, as I mentioned before, but in a different context, Sarah Palin has come along and made 'Old Paradigm' politics virtually redundant as she crystallised all the above together into one political whole.

She is the one who has come along into politics, and whether she ultimately succeeds in the 2012 Presidential Election in the USA we are yet to see, but, nevertheless, she is the epitome of the new 'Mean Girl' politician and the catalyst of the new 'Mean Girl' political paradigm. Political Evolution has created a new species.

You could almost call her, 'Politician Barbie'. She also appears to be the standard by which all others who come after her will be compared. From now on, it seems, as many politicians as possible are going to have to 'look the part'. Potential leaders will need to be telegenic, have a Stylist, a Hairdresser, a Wardrobe Adviser, as well as the Speech Writer and Press Officer. Even though Miranda Devine on Twitter meant it in a derogatory sense, when she recently described Anna Bligh's performance during the Queensland Floods and Cyclone Yasi, as 'like a great Newsreader', maybe that is going to have to be the standard that political leaders, at least, post Palin, will have to aspire to? More and more, in order to convince the electorate to vote for them and their party, they will have to be a visually 'together' Tailor's Dummy that is the sum of many parts. The intellectual and the visual combined. And there will no longer be any 'No Go' areas that are off limits for comment.

Or is that going to 'Poison the Well' of politics?

What do you think?

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9/02/2011H/FS Apologies, I was too impatient and clicked the 'Post button' twice.

Lyn

9/02/2011Hi Hillbilly Thankyou for your brilliant post today "Poisioning the Well of our Good Nature". Your articles are a delightful asset to TPS, along with your equally delightful comments every day, you are certainly greatly appreciated by me and no doubt Ad Astra. [quote]editors and publishers have discovered a new way to 'Poison the Well' of our political discourse, by employing a new paradigm of political character assassination[/quote] I can understand the magazines, Woman's Weekly, Woman's Day and the like, writing about appearances, bodies, hair styles and such, but national newspapers, & Political journalists. When it comes to running our country, it really is actions that count. 'Image Assassination',if I was Julia Gillard I would have been completely destroyed by now, hospitalised with a nervous breakdown, never to be normal again. As far as the alternative Prime Minister is concerned, his problems are self inflicted. He has proved numerous times, he is completely unsuitable to lead this country. I can assure you it has nothing to do with Budgie Smugglers, big ears, foul mouth or any other numerous personal bad attributes. Cheers

Feral Skeleton

9/02/2011lyn, Thank you for your delightful comments. I treasure them and feel reassured by them. :) As for Tony Abbott, I believe he understands how important image is for the modern politician. So he has picked his visual politcal ouvre, a number of them in fact, and he flaunts them at every opportunity. Tony on the bike. Tony in his Budgie Smugglers. Tony riding Quad Bikes. Tony the Triathlon Man. The only one I haven't seen, but I do know it exists, is, Tony the Volunteer Firefighter. However, if his efforts at firefighting are anything like his efforts at helping clean up after the floods and the cyclone, then I can imagine that he probably is very good at holding his hose, while others actually do the hard yakka. Though, and I think it goes to my thesis, I actually think that Tony Abbott realises that he only needs to be a symbolic contributor. The politician as actualisation of people's imagination of what their leader should be these days. However, where he fails in being the complete package is that he does not have the right temperament to be the nation's leader. As yesterday showed. Still, might it ever get to the point in the future where the politicians that lead their parties will be so cocooned by their minders, and surrounded by a carefully-crafted mirage, that we never find out about their human failings, until it's too late? I think it already has in Italy. Berlusconi has figured out that if you own the medium, the message is all yours to transmit. Dumb 'the mob' down, and away you go for almost as long as you want to go for. I say, 'almost' because people of integrity will always resist the brainwashing and start planning your ouster. Then it comes down to the level of suppression of the will of the people to fight you, once they decide that they will not take it anymore. Like in Egypt. One thing's for certain, politics is in a state of flux globally right now. Where it ends up, I don't know!

Ad astra reply

9/02/2011H/FS Thank you for yet another perceptive piece. I do hope we have not gone so far towards becoming Sarah Palinized that there is no retreat. It is the media that has created this monster – preoccupation with the trivial at the expense of substance. Not all of it, but enough to influence large sectors of the electorate, those who choose the next government. If style and trivial pursuit prevail, if the people are persuaded that the real criteria for choosing the next government are the way people look and talk and sloganize and trivialize, rather than their vision and well thought through plans, we are lost, hopelessly subject to manipulation by the powerful in the media whose agenda is wielding power and influence through their outlets to gain the commercial advantage they seek. How can we counter the monster while it continues to feed the people with the junk media food to which it already has addicted them? It’s no good the media saying – the people want it and so we need to give them what they want. That is like a mother, having over years addicted her children to junk food, saying: ‘my kids want it so I must give it to them’. As has been demonstrated in Tunisia and now Egypt, the social media have had a profound influence on political events there, and that movement is largely based on young people mastering the technology of the social media and communicating their hopes and aspirations to others to produce a groundswell that prevailed in Tunisia and promises to do the same in Egypt. Is this an unstoppable force that will wash over governments and the MSM and push the monster back into its cage where it can live but not overwhelm? What little we can do here on [i]TPS[/i] and in the blogosphere to aid and abet this force in its attempts to countervail the rusted-on traditional media establishment, we should do with zest.

Jason

9/02/2011Hi All, I asked on the "Right to be Angry" All the right wing journos who it would seem have rather short memories! Today they say Abbott was around men talking like men do! OK I'll concede that point as I've said the odd word myself, so why then when Rudd went with men to a strip joint his whole being was called into question? Or have I missed something here?

Feral Skeleton

9/02/2011Jason, You think too deeply for a man. :)

Feral Skeleton

9/02/2011This is very funny, actually: http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/diary-of-a-liberal-frontbencher-heavy-flood-levy/?from=scroller&pos=3&referrer=article&link=text

Jason

9/02/2011FS, I know! but sitting in a crane all day it's all you can do, might do some dogging next week for a change

Feral Skeleton

9/02/2011Jason, You need a Nintendo 3DS in the Crane with you. :)

TalkTurkey

9/02/2011Tune: How much is that Doggie in the window? How weird is that Tony on my TV? (Crap! Crap) The one with the dumb nodding head? How weird is that Tony on my TV? (Crap! Crap!) I do think that Tony's brain-dead! When he took a trip to play some war-games And fire a machine-gun at whim He noticed that excrement eventuates And it's true it has happened to him! How weird is that Tony on my TV? (Crap! Crap!) The one with the dumb nodding head? How weird is that Tony on my TV? (Crap! Crap!) I do think that Tony's brain-dead! In Afghanistan there was a camera (OOH! ME!) And a microphone heard what he said And now Riley's showin' him the footage (OOH! ME!) He stands there just noddin' his head! I'd rather have a kitty or a bunny Or one of those parrots that squawk: At least they are pretty and they're funny, And a parrot can learn how to talk! How weird is that Tony on my TV? (Crap! Crap) The one with the dumb nodding head? How weird is that Tony on my TV? (Crap! Crap!) I do think that Tony's brain-dead!

Lyn

9/02/2011Talk Turkey You are amazing, brilliant at songs and poems. I know the song "How Much is that Doggie in the Window" the one with the waggley tail, woof, woof. I was able to sing your words with the tune very well. Brilliant chorus. Did you notice ABC are saying Frozen Fury, when talking about the sh#t happens gaffe. I Like that description.

Ad astra reply

9/02/2011TT Clever verse. There will be few takers for 'THAT Tony on your TV'.

Miglo

9/02/2011Another brilliant piece, Feral. I miss you when you're off busily writing, but the wait is well worth it.

TalkTurkey

9/02/2011Thank you Lyn, TPS is a multifaceted mutual admiration society, so many people inputting, we are a critical mass. (And what a critical mass we are!) I would not write this sort of stuff if it were not for knowing that others will appreciate it, and in the determination to do what I can to keep the Huns at bay. As can be said for nearly everyone who writes here. And You, Lyn, keep us coming back daily. Thank you Professor Skeleton even if I never wanted to hear the name Palin ever again. Guess we will have to anyway. United we stand. No pasaran! Venceremos!

Feral Skeleton

10/02/2011Miglo, Ah, so you can tell when/why I have absented myself? :) Anyway, glad you like it.

Feral Skeleton

10/02/2011Talk Turkey, No, thank you, the pleasure was mine! I loved your ditty and I don't think I'll be able to get it out of my head. You know, much as we may wish Mrs Palin away, she is backed by some formidable forces and will not be going anywhere,anytime soon. Did you know she has tried to trademark herself and her name? Now, that's confidence in your brand!

Lyn

10/02/2011[b]TODAY'S LINKS[/b] [i]On the QT: My constituents suffered more than your constituents, Greg Jericho, Grog's Gamut[/i]. Unfortunately it wasn’t just the media that fell face first into this pile of broadband stupidity, Malcolm Turnbull left his sense at home as well: http://grogsgamut.blogspot.com/ [i]Abbotts Team Smoke and Mirrors – Backbench, Saynotony[/i]Conservative media has tried to help but it seems even [b]News Limited is starting to loose faith in Abbott .[/b]http://sayno2tonyabbott.wordpress.com:80/2011/02/09/abbotts-team-smoke-and-mirrors-backbench/ [i]A PM's tears, two words and seventy seconds of silence, The Conscience Vote[/i] Laurie Oakes said Abbott was ‘stupid’, while Hugh Riminton described it as an ‘ugly’ day for the Opposition Leader. http://consciencevote.wordpress.com:80/2011/02/09/a-pms-tears-two-words-and-seventy-seconds-of-silence [i]National Media Betray Tony, Jeremy sear, Pure Poison[/i]more newsworthy and more damaging than a national leader campaigning against wealthy Australians paying a flood levy http://blogs.crikey.com.au/purepoison/ [i]Fighting the flood levy, Amber Jamieson, Crikey[/i]Abbott’s setting himself up for trouble by not agreeing to the once-off levy. “ http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/02/09/fighting-the-flood-levy/ [i]Tony Abbott reclamation project begins, Massivespray, Spray of the Day[/i] Whatever the cause, that is not the way anyone who aspires to leadership should react to a difficult situation. http://sprayoftheday.wordpress.com:80/2011/02/09/tony-abbott-reclamation-project-begins/ [i]Riley, Abbott, Shit and What's Happening,The Rant - O - Matic[/i], I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if someone, somewhere within the [b]Liberal party has orchestrated this to be the straw that broke the camels back in terms of Tony Abbott’s leadership[/b]. http://matthewhatton.id.au/?p=714 [i]What to do when "Shit Happens, Cjlambert's posterous. [/i]Time and space are suspended as Australian opposition leader Tony Abbott has an outer body experience and watches his political career being swept out to sea. http://cjlambert.posterous.com/what-to-do-when-shit-happens [i]Showtime in Canberra, Ben Eltham, New Matilda[/i] the Coalition will be forced to circle the wagons and defend their leader http://newmatilda.com/2011/02/09/showtime-canberra [i]Anti-NBN junkies need to go to rehab, Renai LeMay, Delimeter[/i] the Australian newspaper, which blithely accompanied its own extensive story on the evils of a fibre NBN with a massive picture of [b]Rupert Murdoch’s newest attempt [/b]http://delimiter.com.au:80/2011/02/08/anti-nbn-junkies-need-to-go-to-rehab/ [i]Hosing down the hype on wireless internet technology, Stilgherrian, Crikey[/i] future is wireless,” was the headline in The Australian yesterday on a typical anti-NBN rhetorical http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/02/09/hosing-down-the-hype-on-wireless-internet-technology [i]Malcolm Turnbull on Collision Course with Abbott,Reb, Gutter Trash[/i] many of the crusty conservative MPs are hostile toward gay marriage. http://guttertrash.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/malcolm-turnbull-on-collision-course-with-abbott/ [i]Rough days on a rolling campaign to nowhere, Barrie Cassidy, ABC[/i] Yet in Gillard's home town, The Herald Sun ran 23 letters, all but four of them condemning her. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/09/3134481.htm [i]Abbott's frozen fury lingers beyond his words , Phillip Coorey, National Times[/i] Abbott interview on 2UE, His reaction of frozen fury when confronted by Channel Seven's Mark Riley has alarmed colleagues http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/abbotts-frozen-fury-lingers-beyond-his-words-20110209-1am2n.html Coalition’s plan to stop Labor’s flood tax – Tony Abbott, Australian Politics [b]Video Abbott's Press conference, cutting the fat[/b]http://australianpoliticstv.org/2011/02/09/coalitions-plan-to-stop-labors-flood-tax-tony-abbott

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10/02/2011LYN'S DAILY LINKS updated: http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/page/Lyns-Daily-Links.aspx

adelaidegirl

10/02/2011Sorry to be off topic. FS, I haven't even read your piece yet but I'm looking forward to having more time for that. Bouquets for PM from Bob Katter on Radio National with Fran Kelly this morning. While discussing the Qld disasters, he stated that central control was needed and that Julia Gillard had been on it from day one. He stated that he will now be supporting the Flood Levy as his bargaining power has been crushed by Yasi. With Tony Crook that's two cross benchers voting for the levy. Then, Michelle Grattan opined that the PM will get the cross bench votes she needs. No negs for Julia but mention of the stoush between Tones and his deputy over the "cutting" of foreign aid (pathetic, they won't be cutting anything. I pity the fools.) Michelle further opined that Tones will have to get things under control! Also, nice to see the "shit happens" affair continuing to get coverage on SMH.com, along with two other stories about the foreign aid stoush and rumblings in the Libs' ranks. The tide has turned.

adelaidegirl

10/02/2011Wonderful! Love your work, TT. You've encapsulated the surreal out-of-body experience I had while watching that frozen minute, unable to believe that this weirdo thought he should be PM. Unf***enbelievable! Jason, you should know that "left wingers" like KRudd are namby pamby, latte and cardonnay sipping bleeding hearts who should not have the capacity to appreciate manly pasttimes like shooting guns or checking out nudie norgs. If Robott was caught in flagrante delicto with a rabbit, he'd just be being real!

Jason

10/02/2011AA, According to PVO this morninig "the Opposition Leader's office let him down regarding the now-infamous exchange he had with the Seven Network's Mark Riley." http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/lapses-by-staff-hang-tony-out-to-dry/story-e6frg6zo-1226003253547

TalkTurkey

10/02/2011 JACKPOT! Tributes from Lyn! Ad astra! Prof.Skeleton! OOOWAAAHHH! Thanks all, now, let's get organised. It's a CLOWN WAR DANCE, the TOE-KNEE SWORD DANCE, OHHH KAYYY?! Words in round brackets say aloud. Yous invent the steps, do da motions, pull funny faces, ( Oh it would help to know the tune, go find it, google How Much is that Doggie, listen to Patti Page, have vomit bag handy.) Here we go. Tune: How much is that Doggie in the window? How weird is that Tony on my TV? >>>[Point to nearest screen ,screw temple w/finger] (CRAP! CRAP!) >>>[Pull face,Wiggle bum,smack buttocks suggestively] The one with the dumb nodding head? >>>[Mouth open - Like Tony!] How weird is that Tony on my TV? (CRAP! CRAP!) >>>[Repeat Line 1] I do think that Tony's brain-dead! >>>[Thump temple with heel of hand to see if anyone's home.] When he took a trip to play some war-games >>>[Action-Tony Waddle-March] And fire a machine-gun at whim (TA-TA-TA-TA-TAAAAA) >>> [Rambo-Tony all round room] He noticed that excrement eventuates (Blurrrhh, YUK!) >>>[Looks disgustedly at sole of boot] And it's true, it has happened to him! >>>[Points to self, near tears, pouting, like Boo Hoo, Why Me?] Chorus again identical: How weird is that Tony on my TV? (CRAP! CRAP!) The one with the dumb nodding head? How weird is that Tony on my TV? (CRAP! CRAP!) I do think that Tony's brain-dead! In Afghanistan there was a camera (OOH! ME!) >>>[Jumping excited pointing to self Looka Me!Looka Me!Looka Me!] And a microphone heard what he said . . . >>>[One hand to ear, one holding out mike, bug-eyed like scandalized] And now Riley's showin' him the footage (OOH! ME!) >>>[Gobsmacked, open-mouthed pointing to self like Oh No! ] He stands there just noddin' his head! >>>[Time it like Tony!] I'd rather have a kitty or a bunny(MEEE-OWWW) >>>[w/bunny-hop + bunny-ears] Or one of those parrots that squawk: (SQUARK SQUARK SQUARRRK!) >>>[while flapping and bouncing] At least they are pretty and they're funny, (OHHHHH!) >>>[Cooing, Stroking] And a parrot can learn how to talk! (DUMB PRICK TONY! DUMB PRICK TONY! ABBORTT! ABBORTT! ABBORTT!) >>>[LOUD!and HARSH! Make bouncing side-to-side parrot with hand] Chorus again identical: How weird is that Tony on my TV? (CRAP! CRAP!) The one with the dumb nodding head? How weird is that Tony on my TV? (Crap! Crap!) I do think that Tony's brain-dead! Finally REPEAT chorus But this time YOU DO YOUR OWN ORIGINAl MOTIONS and SOUNDS, tee hee. How weird is that Tony on my TV? (CRAP! CRAP!) The one with the dumb nodding head? How weird is that Tony on my TV? (CRAP! CRAP!) I - DO - THINK - THAT - TOE - KNEE's - BRAIN - DEAD! [Draw out that last syllable sort of D-Urrrrrhhhhh] [Come to statue-like pose, like running-out clockwork, mouth open, dopey-looking gawping straight ahead, nodding progressively-less, to STOP.] Practice in private, then amuze your friends, like with Y-M-C-A, Ohhh Kayyy? Ridicule is the sharpest sword of all.

Bring Back Maxine

10/02/2011FS / AA Off topic but worthy of all Swordians' attention. There is a great automated letter that goes to Abbot & Bishop available which takes about 20 seconds to fill out: http://www.oxfam.org.au/act/take-action/make-poverty-history/tell-the-coalition-to-keep-its-promise-on-aid/ Their target is 1000 letters, mine made it 902. Every letter should make the Abbott that much less comfortable. Note: I read this in a post by a blogger called SoulmanZ @ Poll Bludger. http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollbludger/2011/02/06/newspoll-44-32-to-coalition/comment-page-95/#comments

Feral Skeleton

10/02/2011adelaidegirl, Thank you for your kind words. :) It's amazing isn't it, the number of apologists for Tony Abbott? Now, according to PVO, Liberal Party cipher, it was Tony's office that let him down. Puhhlleeaassee!! Can't Tony think for himself?

Feral Skeleton

10/02/2011You know, every time I think about Tony Abbott now I get this image in my head of one of those cartoon characters, usually a robot, who, when they discombobulate, all the springsan dnuts and bolts start popping out of their head. :)

Ad astra reply

10/02/2011TT I can hear the people singing along, even some in the Coalition. The chorus is so apt. BBM I've joined the throng. My letter was 943.

adelaidegirl

10/02/2011Thanks BBMaxine - done and done and forwarded to others. I couldn't help adding a little PS to the effect of "you're not the PM, dumbass". I don't know why but I'm in such a good mood today :)

Jason

10/02/2011FS, I see good news awaits you after the state election! http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/peter-costello-to-become-coalition-adviser/story-e6frfku0-1226003369094

Ad astra reply

10/02/2011Hi Lyn As I sat at the breakfast table this morning working through your links on the iPad, I reflected on just how excellent a service you provide us with day after day. Instead of thumbing through the pages of countless newspapers looking for the relevant political news, then surfing the Internet for the online politics, I was able to go to each of your links and absorb the essence of today’s political news relevant to the contemporary political scene in Canberra. You save us countless hours of searching. We do not buy papers now except for the [i]AFR[/i] and [i]The Saturday Age[/i] at the weekend; we no longer buy [i]The Australian[/i]. Your links provide the political food we desire. I just wanted to let you know how valuable your links are and how they now occupy the place of ‘the morning newspaper’. What a wonderful technically sophisticated world we live in; your links are central in it. Thank you so much.

TalkTurkey

10/02/2011AdelaideGirl said "I don't know why but I'm in such a good mood today" I do AG 'cos it feels like we're winning a little at last, even if mainly because THEM's losing at last. And funny, I was thinking the same, just about as you posted. "Sometimes, I think it's a shame When I think I'm feeling better 'cos I'm feeling no pain" or like that. Forget whose song, but acknowledged. The worst part usually is KNOWING that Labor's doing a great job under horrible circs - GFC, natural disasters, - and ALWAYS having the MSM against them/us! But like the Turkey said months ago, and exponentially it happens now, Abbortt's going DOWN, and then the Coalition won't have a blue clue what to do! There's a person on Poll Bludger, Victoria, says Abbortt and Bishop ( ! ) oughta have a staring match (to the death), whoever wins be the Libs' leader. Agree, and disagree. Stare to the death, yep, all good, love it. But neither will be leader, and Dog won't help whoever does get the toxic job. The quite many Rotten Right will become increasingly irrelevant, the quite few Moderates (?) will slowly attract more hopefuls and the unbridgeable schism, oh sorry Tony shitsm should be lovely to watch. Oh and thanks AG for your condiments. Practise the Tony Sword Dance eh! We will do it on his political grave soon. And his frozen moment at the end will last for all ETERNITY, HA HA HARRRRRRRR! (But we dancers will go away and drink champagne!) Remember I said only days ago - seems like months - soon you will feel almost sorry for him? . . . Hankies ready?

Lyn

10/02/2011Hi Ad You are so thoughtful and kind, your words give me the incentive, & motivation, to be useful to our important TPS, with our very valuable readers. TPS has it all. There are some quality blogs out there, framing the best of the daily news, that's for sure, but TPS leads the way. Have a nice day Ad Cheers

TalkTurkey

10/02/2011Lyn said "There are some quality blogs out there, framing the best of the daily news, that's for sure, but TPS leads the way." Yes, and Lyn leads the way for TPS!

Lyn

10/02/2011Hi Talk Turkey What a nice compliment, thankyou very much. But tell you what, we at TPS is very lucky, because Brucie the Bilby bounced along to our site, I reckon it's fun. He bounces on this Hopscotch - trampoline- scrabble- typewriter- whiteboard all rolled into one then it posts what I bounce on! I reckon it's fun. Well Talk Turkey we reckon you're great fun. [quote]Practise the Tony Sword Dance eh! We will do it on his political grave soon. [/quote] [quote]screw temple w/finger Thump temple with heel of hand to see if anyone's home[/quote] Hilarious Cheers

Ethistan

10/02/2011Hey TT, just thought I would let you know that song was Sundown by Gordon Lightfoot.

Ad astra reply

10/02/2011Folks It is not often that we post two pieces within twenty-four hours, but today Bushfire Bill has returned to author a searing piece [i]Abbott in the Toilet: Shit Happens, Tony[/i] that is so relevant to the contemporary discourse about Tony Abbott’s ‘shit happens’ moment that it demands posting now. http://www.thepoliticalsword.com/post/2011/02/10/Abbott-in-the-Toilet-Shit-Happens-Tony.aspx This is not the usual appraisal we have seen from MSM journalists – it touches on aspects that they have scarcely mentioned. We welcome you back BB; your latest piece lives up to the high standard you have set in the past.

Lyn

10/02/2011Hi Ad Wow I am just astounded with delight to see Bushfire Bills piece, I was so excited, I thought my eyes were playing tricks with the date, I was positive the archives were messed up. We are just so incredibly lucky to have Bushfire Bill back on "The Political Sword" thankyou Ad for finding him. cheers

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How many Rabbits do I have if I have 3 Oranges?