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How Team Abbott is shaping up post-Bernardi

Mark Kenny

by Mark Kenny

21 Sep 05:40am

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Filed under: Cory Bernardi, Gay Marriage, Government, Opposition, Politics, Tony Abbott

51 comments

Tony Abbott’s initial explanation for dumping his parliamentary secretary Cory Bernardi was revealing for how far it did not go.

Cartoon: Peter Nicholson

“I was concerned about what Cory said in the Senate last night and then when he compounded that by going unnecessarily on to radio this morning to repeat the matter, I swiftly concluded that that was one mistake too many,’’ he said.

It suggested Bernardi’s bestiality reference was not so much wrong in principle as in quantity. Further, it revealed that the outspoken South Australian would have survived had he not gone on radio – especially as sworn enemy Christopher Pyne was already on air on that station doing his regular Wednesday morning spot.

Asked whether Bernardi should lose his party endorsement, Mr Abbott was also restrained.

“These are matters for the lay party. Cory is a talented politician, with much to contribute but, plainly, he has been guilty of ill-discipline, lack of judgment and he will have to do a fair bit of political penance, no doubt about that.’‘

With words like guilt, discipline, penance, and references to the laity, one wondered if he was talking about an alternative government or a religious denomination.

But while Labor complained the Opposition leader had “missed the point’’ by saying “ill-disciplined’’ rather than “bigoted’‘, the minimalist response was pure Abbott when it comes to managing his team.

The leader went as far as necessary to justify cutting the South Australian adrift and no further. Why provoke Bernardi into further comments? Why make an enemy of him?

Equally important however, Abbott used the crisis to both strengthen his frontbench team and to signal to anyone from Malcolm Turnbull on the left to Barnaby Joyce on the rural right, that they must play the team game and remember who hands out the jobs.

“I have sent a very strong message to every member of the team that ill-discipline is unacceptable. I think it’s pretty clear that if you want to freelance, you can do so on the backbench but you can’t freelance from the frontbench,’’ he said.

It was timely message too coming off what was arguably Abbott’s trickiest fortnight in the job. The aforementioned Joyce had railed against foreign ownership sparking a public internecine slanging match and Mr Turnbull in his own classy way, had gently ratcheted up his profile via two eloquent speeches and his clear denunciation of the Bernardi comments.

By the only measure that counts, Tony Abbott has performed superbly in what is the toughest job in politics. Historically, very few opposition leaders get a second crack after losing.

Yet this is what Abbott is on track to do.

The minority parliament has helped because it has maintained a frisson of crisis and therefore of an election at anytime.

But as the reality of serving a full term on the wrong side of the House has sunk in, Coalition discipline has wavered slightly. It is this tendency, as well as a creeping sense of hubris that Abbott wants to nip in the bud.

The clearest demonstration of his cautious minimalism is Abbott’s front bench line-up.

It has remained the same since the 2010 election despite two significant Government shake-ups and despite carrying more than the usual quota of passengers and has-beens.

But Abbott knows, this is opposition - not government. Nobody cares about shadow ministers. But they matter big time inside the party. Even successful leaders have only a loose grip on the leadership mantle. So Abbott has been careful to keep individual hope alive while avoiding the creation of unnecessary opponents - the inevitable outcome from any reshuffle.

Yet the elevation of two John Howard staffers to fill the Bernardi vacancy in Arthur Sinodinos and Jamie Briggs signals he is now beginning to think beyond the election as well.

With less than a year in the Senate, Sinodinos’s rapid promotion is a significant decision. The respected former Treasury official will not only bolster the shaky economic armoury of Team Abbott but he is expected to rise quickly through the ranks. Abbott believes he is a future treasurer.

Ditto for the career prospects of the 35-year-old policy minded South Australian, Jamie Briggs.

Both promotions are sound policy and clever politics by Abbott.

They signal to underperforming MPs already on the frontbench that some - possibly many - will be cut if the Coalition wins.

And for the young and restless knocking on the door, that’s good to know as well.

Comments on this post at 8pm AEST.

Most commented

51 comments

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    • Queensland Observer says:

      06:15am | 21/09/12

      I’ll say this to you alone Mark Kenny, because it seems clear that the MSM is on a witch-hunt against Senator Bernardi. So, did you actually ‘read’ the full speech of what Senator Bernardi said, and more importantly did you comprehend it, or did you just gleefully jump on the bandwagon, happy to bash a Conservative?

      For the comprehension impaired, his speech wasn’t about equating homosexual marriage to bestiality, but rather about continually moving the goalposts of how we define marriage, until maybe one day what is considered absurd today, will be demanded and acceded to by noisy special interest groups.

      You see, Progressives may have lost the vote on Wednesday, but they won a greater battle in ensuring that yet another Left-promoted ‘protected species’ group becomes untouchable by public and political debate. As a result of the Senator’s sacking, anyone in public or political office may now have second thoughts about speaking frankly about matters in regards to sexuality; just as nowadays people have second thoughts about speaking, writing, or making bad films about other ‘untouchable’ groups - such as Islam and Australian Aboriginals.

      I worry that the perpetually and professionally insulted, aggrieved and offended, will now consider this as a victory, and further distort what he said and meant, in order to continue to force what we are allowed to say into an even narrower funnel of Leftist PC-speak, until one day it is easier to simply remain silent. In other words - ‘Shut Up’ has worked! Do you think a country where the population remains silent is a healthy country - where instead disquiet and anger remains below the surface, like pus below a painful boil. Australia used to celebrate its tradition of the larrikin Aussie calling a spade, a spade - soon we’ll all have to weigh each word in order to not give offence to the growing number of ‘untouchable’ groups.

      So next time Chris, instead of going for the easy target, why don’t you instead grow a pair, and start demanding accountability of Labor like real and courageous men like Michael Smith are doing. You know, like actually doing your job properly and not just running with the unthinking herd.

      Australia is so very ill-served by its media.

      Reply

    • Thunderoad says:

      07:01am | 21/09/12

      Thanks QO. Sometimes you need a good laugh first thing in the morning and your victimhood rant has delivered in spades.

    • Queensland Observer says:

      07:06am | 21/09/12

      That last reference should be ‘Mark’, not ‘Chris’.

    • TChong says:

      07:25am | 21/09/12

      QO
      By the very fact your post sits so proudly on top,  indicates your deepest fears about silencing of dissent seems to be a load of bullocks.
      Who is trying to silence you?
      How have “they” tried to do this ?
      Courtesy of the web, and broad minded churches like “The Punch”, you get to have your say, the same as we all do.
      But, dont fear, the Libs are all for a Bill of Rights arent they?

    • Queensland Observer says:

      07:52am | 21/09/12

      @ Thunderoad, my post was directed to Mark alone. However, I note Thunderoad, that going by your words you could not refute it as being wrong - just laughingly dismissed it as a ‘victimhood rant’.

    • Thunderoad says:

      08:40am | 21/09/12

      Still laughing QO and you’re still playing the poor me card.

      Proper conservatives decry the victim mentality.

    • Kipling says:

      09:01am | 21/09/12

      I guess point one, this moron resigned (did he jump or was he pushed?) based on his ill conceived comments.

      He most definitely did make referrence to Consensual love between a human and a beast… Therein lieth perfect grounds to pull the mug up short regardless of how or what he was trying to say….

      Beasts cannot give consent, nuff said right there….

    • fml says:

      09:06am | 21/09/12

      QO,

      It was exactly what he meant, why do you think he resigned? Even his british conservative mates are are distancing themselves from him.

      Seems like everybody but you think that he was out of order.

      “Australia used to celebrate its tradition of the larrikin Aussie calling a spade, a spade” No we still do that, Bernadi is an idiot and you are a bestiality apologist.

    • Expat Ozzie says:

      09:56am | 21/09/12

      QO: “Australia used to celebrate its tradition of the larrikin Aussie calling a spade, a spade”

      Well, I’d say it still does celebrate that tradition and in this case it has called a tosser a tosser and sent him on his way. I’d say the same about yourself regarding this rant.

      Bernardi did indeed equate the granting of marriage equality to the possibility of legalising bestiality and polygamy. You can slant it any way you like he still voiced a disgusting opinion and got his just deserts.

      Seems those in far off lands tend to agree and are making an effort to ensure the effluent from this retard does not stick to there shiny suits.

    • P. Walker says:

      10:30am | 21/09/12

      QO, that’s the way I read the article too, the actual article not Mark’s interpretation.  As for Thunderoad, I’d say the Gays have played the victimhood card for far too long. 
      Its like hi-jacking the term “do gooder” where in fact this is meant to mean doing good.  Its all arse about these days!

    • Thunderoad says:

      10:55am | 21/09/12

      Good to hear that conservatives are taking back the victimhood card P. Walker. Equilibrium can only truly be restored when conservatives are howling at the moon about how hard done by they are.

    • Thunderoad says:

      11:00am | 21/09/12

      Bernardi didn’t write an article P. Walker, the comments in question were from a speech given to the Senate. Your dual reference to reading an ‘article’ indicate that you haven’t read the speech at all. Hardly the best position from which to be making intpretations on it’s content.

    • Peter says:

      06:17am | 21/09/12

      Great analysis, Mark.  I for one would love to see a reshuffle as I think Abbott’s team is simply not good enough to run the country.  The promotion of Sinodinos is a good move in the right direction.

      Reply

    • Denny says:

      08:02am | 21/09/12

      That may well be the case but one think that most of us KNOW for certain is that the Gillard team is definately not good enough. Not by a long, long way.

      Abbotts team might not be good enough to fix the mess. It will be a monumental job to clean up after this mob of misfits and incompetents. I certainly dont rate them as highly as Howard’s team but you never know, they may just grow in the job. many of Howards ministers did, so there is still hope.

    • fml says:

      09:07am | 21/09/12

      Sinodinos?

      Sounds foreign, the public won’t trust him. How many kids does he have? more than two? yep, he is trying to take over by stealth.

    • michael j says:

      06:24am | 21/09/12

      Bernardi’s bestiality reference brought up concerns of mine and others i know so i don’t really see anything wrong with his address ,

      Reply

    • acotrel says:

      07:51am | 21/09/12

      Are you having fantasies about animals ?

    • P. Walker says:

      10:32am | 21/09/12

      Are you having fantasies about animals ?

      Hmmm, all those open padocks at Benalla…...

    • Rickster says:

      11:12am | 21/09/12

      It reminds me of the joke about the seminar on the super natural, The lecturer asks” has anyone here had sex with a ghost”? one guy in the back puts his hand up…........the lecturer asks him again “so you’ve had sex with a ghost”? he replies ” Oh no….. I thought you said goat”.

    • Anna C says:

      11:15am | 21/09/12

      There are probably a lot of nervous animals out there following Cory Bernardi’s speech. 

      In all seriousness though I know what Cory was trying to articulate but I think he went about it the wrong way.  He should have stuck to using polygamy and blood relative relationships as examples and not bestiality as everyone knows that unlike humans animals cannot consent.  It was silly on his part but you’d be surprised at how many people share his views especially among the elderly.

    • michael j says:

      12:30pm | 21/09/12

      Well on the first RAKE episode i saw on ch 2 the learned word bender was defending a Doctor ( Sam Neil ) for cruelty to an Animal , that being the family Rottweiler that him and his wife were having SEX with,,A huge step into the never never by Australian Free to Air TV,
      I once worked worked with a bloke who was sacked for indecent dealing with an animal,also a young bloke at school was hospitalized after an experiment with a poddy calf went wrong,,
      I also witnessed a NZ bloke in a bikie gang have it off with a sheep and am quite sure at least 1 was pissed,,
      As these things happened probably when Mr Bernardi was in
      pre-school i can only think he must be referring to more recent events,
      As for incestuousness relation’s weren’t they outlawed for the reason they Bred defect’s ,surly with all the modern method’s of controlling Birth should not they be put on the debate as well , probably be more people accepting to that then mate on mate,,
      Yes as for me i m old an celibate so please don’t ask me to think like a homosexual because that is impossible,,
      Still i go back to when i was a young man and the olde saying What ever Perverted Games people want to play in their bedroom is nobody’s business but theirs ,,,
      Perhaps it is Marriage that should be outlawed,,,

    • acotrel says:

      06:31am | 21/09/12

      ‘“These are matters for the lay party. Cory is a talented politician, with much to contribute but, plainly, he has been guilty of ill-discipline, lack of judgment and he will have to do a fair bit of political penance, no doubt about that.’‘

      With words like guilt, discipline, penance, and references to the laity, one wondered if he was talking about an alternative government or a religious denomination.’

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvYzLIywCiA

      Will the National Civic Council finally get a guernsey ?

      Reply

    • NESLIHAN KUROSAWA says:

      07:56am | 21/09/12

      Hi Mark,

      I am guessing that for the ones always complaining and opposing Mr Tony Abbott, this could actually be a turning point as well as a reason for a well earned applaud, right?  In some of the replies some people have talked about creating the untouchables such as Muslims and Aborigines in Australia?  I just wanted to say, really? Unlike those people I would like the use the expression of minorities instead, because that is exactly what they are, nothing more or less! And same goes for homosexuals in our society and I would rather call them certain groups with certain needs or minorities once again. And surely they aren’t the majority so “do they need their rights to be defended or not”?  Or simply put they just have to be be treated with same kind of respect and dignity as the rest of Australian society?

      We may not like Aborigines, Muslims or homosexuals, after all we tend to live in a free society!  However that doesn’t give us the right to treat them as being less than human and not deserving the common courtesy given to other people, unconditionally.  In our recent past we have talked about the elections including the fact that the whole voting process is a whole new ball game with new rules which did not even apply previously. 

      There is simply no excuses for ill disciplined behaviour, I would personally prefer the use of discriminatory and inflammatory remarks about certain minorities!  It has especially no place in the Parliament House of all places.  I am only guessing that if it wasn’t for equal voting rights as women we would have to be called the disadvantaged group or the minority as well. And in conclusion would like to add that as long as “our personal choices, religions and the colour of our skin don’t interfere with the voting process, why should it matter anyway” ?  Kind regards to your editors.

      Reply

    • Queensland Observer says:

      10:48am | 21/09/12

      Respect and dignity is a two way street. Over the last ten years and especially last weekend in Sydney we saw very little respect and dignity offered to Australia and Australians by the hotheads in the Muslim community. In the recent past we’ve seen very little respect and dignity offered to the traditional institution of marriage by homosexual activists. Over the years, we have seen very little respect and dignity offered to disadvantaged Aboriginals in remote communities by the actions of some of their lighter skinned city brethren.

      So, what are the rest of us supposed to do when seeing all this? Do we stay silent and suck it up? Or do we speak out and at the very least get called all sorts of names - or run the risk of being hauled before the courts, or lose your job due to political and media pressure.

      Yes minorities should be accorded the same respect and dignity as everyone else, but in return there should not be special favours accorded simply because you fall into a minority status.

      p.s. I’d direct you to these two You Tube presentations which I believe state what I’m trying to say in a much more coherant way.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWHgUE9AD4s
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gpXZ8zYhxI&feature=related

    • Stone age liberal says:

      02:32pm | 21/09/12

      QO, do you understand that the tradition of marriage is really a transfer of Chattel (the women)  whom typically you had to pay for, or even sometimes got paid for taking off the fathers hand. Marriage has been polygamist, marriage has been forever/not forever. Taking your narrow world view (and somewhat limited understanding of “traditional” marriage) is it not surprising that you expouse such views. You need to understand that just because the Catholic church defines something a certain way this does not make it so. It is this sort of paradigm that still has the Pope saying condoms are bad and the baptist… well being baptist. If you are over 50 and only have the McCarthy era education to help formulate your ideas then I am sorry. It is not your fault.

    • Joan Bennett says:

      08:25am | 21/09/12

      The word “bigot” is clearly judgemental and we are not supposed to judge people for expressing their opinions, right?  While I find Bernardi’s comments abhorrent, it is his right to express them.  We are in a democracy, right?

      Reply

    • fml says:

      09:48am | 21/09/12

      “The word “bigot” is clearly judgemental and we are not supposed to judge people for expressing their opinions, right?”

      No, you are meant to judge people for expressing their opinions.

    • Chris L says:

      10:22am | 21/09/12

      Yes, and we have a right to consider him a thoughtless bigot.

    • Gah says:

      11:11am | 21/09/12

      Freedom of speech only grants one the right to speak - it does not automatically grant one the right to be listened to or taken seriously, nor does it deny the right of others to challenge one’s speech. People harp on about the right to one’s opinion, but rarely do people speak about the responsibilities that come with them, specifically that of intellectual integrity. If you have an opinion, the onus is on YOU to defend it against scrutiny, and if it doesn’t hold up to scrutiny, you have to have the humility to admit that you may need to take a second look at things.

      I’m surprised that Bernardi went the bestiality route - it’s been my experience that many people who are against gay marriage usually like to compare consensual homosexual relationships between two adults to paedophilia (an argument which I find to be equally fallacious and abhorrent).

    • Wasdex says:

      11:30am | 21/09/12

      We can call him a bigot if we choose, but that in no way attempts to nullify or address in a rational way what he actually said.

      It is an attempt to bully him (and others) into either not saying what he said or changing their mind on the basis not wanting to be a bigot, and for no other reason.

      As a school teacher who has a lot of ethical discussions in the classroom, I find a significant proportion of my students are pro same sex marriage because they do not want to be a bigot/homophobic. This is not good for our students, not good for gays who want to get married and not good for society in general.

    • Loxy says:

      03:25pm | 21/09/12

      Joan Bennett freedom of speech includes freedom to judge. You are right to say Bernardi is free to express his opinion, however the same freedom applies to all those who express their opinion that Bernardi is a bigot.

    • chuck says:

      09:15am | 21/09/12

      Looks like Bernardi was thrown to the pigs or dogs . So much for political correctness and the temerity to upset the homosexual/lesbian entrenched group in parliament.  Thank goodness he did not refer to Sodom and Gomorrah.

      Reply

    • Anjuli says:

      10:13am | 21/09/12

      When half the heterosexual married couples are getting divorced why would Homosexual couples want to part of the marriage thing ,or is it because they can’t have it they are making all this fuss.

      Reply

    • fml says:

      10:59am | 21/09/12

      I know, I mean with the lack of suitable leadership in our political parties its a wonder women don’t rue the decision to fight for universal suffrage.

      Now they have to suffer the polling booths on a saturday instead of spending it in the kitchen making me sandwiches.

    • andrew says:

      12:15pm | 21/09/12

      its not “per 1000 marriages” , it’s per 1000 residents, and per year. Keep in mind that some of these residents are children, and many adults are not married. So lets say 50% are kids, and 50 % of adults are unmarried. That leaves 250 married adults, and 2.3 couples divorce each year, so lets say 5 divorced adults out of 250 each year, or 1 in 50 chance of divorce each year.

    • Alfie says:

      05:08pm | 21/09/12

      By that reasoning then, we should not encourage gay marriage. It will only lead to even more divorce. lol

    • mooksool says:

      10:50am | 21/09/12

      Re: Cory Bernadi - “This is why we need dog whistle politics: to avoid the love that dare not bark its name.”

      Damon Young on The Drum

      Reply

    • OzTrucker says:

      11:14am | 21/09/12

      The thing is that even though this bill managed to get knocked off the usual suspects came out and said that the war is not over we lost this battle but we will win the campaign blah blah blah…... So I expect that one day we will have to put up with all this BS again.

      So here goes. Is Cory Bernardi a disgusting person? I don’t know. I don’t know him personally. Was his speech in the senate disgusting? I think it was over the top. Or more precisely one step too far. Should he have been sacked for it? For the reasons stated by Tony Abbott absolutely what he said was beyond the pale and was illdisciplined. Overall it was not helpfull to the debate. Just like all the self indulgent crying that happens these days.

      We have to accept though that Bernardi does have the right to hold and express his views and yes, even express them in the senate. Didn’t someone say once that even though I disagree with the views I will defend the right to express it. He therefore has just as much right to express his view as those spouting the homosexuality is normal view.

      His stated view on polygamy is not that ridiculous is it. I mean Mormons have been doing it for years. There is even a tv show featuring the trials and tribulations of a group of these people. I can believe that a group of polygamist apologists would rally around the banner and promote their lifestyle as normal. After all they are men and women, their lifestyle could be considered more normal than homosexuals. Right?

      So who cares about this anyway? Why not just buckle under and give them what they want? Does it really matter?

      The homosexuals care. The church cares. I can just see it father so and so from such and such would not marry us in the church and so we want our legal right to marry or we will sue. Winge sook moan. This is why it matters. Why does this minority group have the right to continually try to ram down our throat their position.

      Some of you foam at the mouth whenever anyone says anything in the negative. I find that more than amusing. Politically correct and damn the consequences.

      Personally I couldn’t care less if homosexuals get married. If they want to waste money on wedding ceremonies go right ahead. It makes no difference to me or
      my relationship what anyone else does.

      But they are not normal. Homosexual relationships are not the norm in our society. They have no more right to their view than any other member of our society.

      I for one am heartily sick of homosexuals spouting their crap and wanting to be accepted as normal. I just wish they would shut up and get on with their job. Perhaps it’s a little ironic that a lot of them will be out of a job soon.

      Reply

    • Expat Ozzie says:

      11:56am | 21/09/12

      OzTrucker: Why is it that you say you “couldn’t care less if homosexuals get married” then go on to kick the crap out of them in the next two paragraphs.

      If you don’t care then why all the whining throughout your post. Seems to me you do care. Seems that you don’t like the fact people have different ideas, needs or wants. If your so proud of your stance why do you apologise and attempt to down play your obvious conservative views on the topic.

      Who are you to decide what is normal and that gay people of either side are no so. Personally I’m sick of hearing the incessant crying from the right about the end of society as we know it. Why don’t you just get on with your life and leave other people alone. If they are gay and want to get married why can’t they, who are you to judge them as normal? Seems a little self righteous to me.

    • OzTrucker says:

      12:33pm | 21/09/12

      Expat.

      I will say it again for you. I don’t care if they get married.

      I do care that they keep trying to ram this I’m normal argument down my throat. I am not the arbiter of what is normal. Normal is just a word. Grow up. What is normal anyway. The point is that there are far far less homosexuals in our society that there are the rest of us. In that context are they normal?

      Nice personal attack by the way. Sort of proves my point really. I obviously don’t have the nice lefty fluffy view like you so you just want me to shut up.

      Seems to me you don’t like the fact that some people have different ideas. Seem a little self righteous to me.

      So no. I think I’ll continue to have my point of view if that’s ok with you.

      Snap.

    • Rickster says:

      12:57pm | 21/09/12

      95% of truckies are gay anyway.

    • Rickster says:

      12:59pm | 21/09/12

      And the other 5% root sheep.

    • OzTrucker says:

      01:45pm | 21/09/12

      Rick idiot

      You know if there was a off switch for you I would happily just flick it.

      I’m not a homosexual and I don’t do animals so where does that leave me?

      Go and pull the wings off some more flys.

      To the mods I would ask why do you allow the sort of rubbish this clown does to see the light of day. I would have thought that moderating was to weed out this sort of rubbish.

    • Expat Ozzie says:

      02:02pm | 21/09/12

      OzTrucker: No I don’t want you shut up, rather why don’t you think about it a rational manner. If you really don’t care then why the negative opinion of the whole thing, why say anything at all? Why are you clearly taking a position against gay marriage if you don’t care? It is plainly obvious buy your reply that you do have a position regarding gay people in general. Grow up and at least just say what you think instead beating around the bush.

      As far as normal is concerned are you seriously suggesting that normality is based on the proportion of one thing verses another. That’s a rather exclusive view wouldn’t you say. Just because there are fewer gay people does not make them abnormal OzTrucker it just makes them different.

      Personal attack. Ah how thin the skin of the right is. Here have a Klenex, wipe your nose and get on with life.

    • crork says:

      11:33am | 21/09/12

      nLP6B9 Thank you ever so for you blog article.Much thanks again. Much obliged.

      Reply

    • Thunderoad says:

      11:37am | 21/09/12

      OzTrucker. The arbiter of all things that are ‘normal’ in this world.

      That human trait of wanting to be accepted for what you are is such a terrible thing isn’t it?

      Reply

    • OzTrucker says:

      11:59am | 21/09/12

      No mate. Our society is the arbiter of that.

      What is terrible is that I am expected to listen to and put up with what I consider to be the crap of others.

      I object that the likes of you can just come out and say that I am intolerant.

      I say to you the fact that I am supposed to just indulge and wordlessly accept is the terrible thing. You need to just indulge me and wordlessly accept my view.

      Snap!!

    • vox says:

      12:27pm | 21/09/12

      Thunderoad, you are being unfair. You don’t know what OzTrucker trucks in his truck!, (bit of rhyming slang there, guys). What happens on the way to market has long been a concern of mine and of many others.
      Look at the outcry over Indonesia.
      Bernardi, who would have been ejected from the Party by the leader of any other political Party, made a huge mistake going to the U.K.. He should have gone to N.Z., where they would have made him P.M.
      And please don’t say that Abbott can’t eject someone from the Party because we all know that a phone call would have achieved that result.
      What is the most upsetting aspect of this whole sordid affair is that Abbott has shown us that someone who thinks as Bernardi does is welcome in, and fits well within, the Australian Liberal Party.
      AnnaC, that wellspring of all things rational, suggests that Bernardi’s views are shared by many, especially the elderly.
      Well that means that I won’t asking the oldies next door to mind my dog whilst I’m away again. Who woulda’ thought?
      I wonder what Abbott’s apologists, (TimB anyone?), think about his preparedness to continue to embrace the onerous Barnardi. Methinks the bloke does know too much!

    • Aux says:

      03:31pm | 21/09/12

      @OzTrucker

      So if youre really sick of all the crap theyre supposedly going on with, then why arent you on here expressing how sick you are of the people linking homosexuality with bestiality and pedophilia, etc?

      Youre not posting here because youre sick of it, but because you do think youre better than they are - thats called supremacy.

      The way i see it, as long as the gay community’s hard earned tax dollars are going into your churches coffers, they have every right to say and lobby for whatever the hell they want, as do I. Especially considering that (im sure) that at least some of the money they pay in taxes is actually being used to separate them from society - therefore cut that off, and all is then fair!

 
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