It takes a certain type of bloke to use a national TV show to attack to launch a rotten attack on a 102 year-old national treasure.
Nevertheless, Piers Akerman is that sort of bloke when he sank to unbelievable depths in his assessment of Dame Elisabeth Murdoch — the matriarch of the Australian media family and mother of Rupert Murdoch.
Akerman is seldom taken seriously – his right wing rants are those of a hairy-knuckled Neanderthal – but when he suggested that Dame Elisabeth had been “used” when she put her name to a letter calling for a carbon price and action on climate change, it may, hopefully, have sounded the death knell for that pompous fool, who is a disgrace even to tabloid whose pages his words pollute.
On Saturday in Melbourne, Ted Baillieu, the Victorian premier, described Dame Elisabeth as a” living legend”.
He was opening a new section of a sculpture garden near Dame Elisabeth’s property on the outskirts of Melbourne — one she has given God only knows how many thousands of dollars to help Australian sculptors to have a place to show their works.
Baillieu went on:
“She's a work of art in her own right, but more importantly a work of heart.”
For Akermann to suggest, as he did, that she had been “manipulated” to speak out on climate change – and that she is too old and feeble to hold an opinion – shows he hasn’t the slightest clue what this remarkable woman is all about.She obviously cares about the future of the planet for her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren; when Akerman’s descendants ask “what did you do in the war?” he will have to hang his head in shame and say, "nothing!"
She is strong, she is compassionate, generous to a fault, caring, loving, shrewd, no one has ever manipulated her (it’s my guess that only a fool would try), her friends can be counted in the thousands and it’s strange that the only person who has ever offered even a mild form criticism of her is the low life Ackerman.
Dame Elisabeth has spent a lifetime of giving — if it’s a deserving cause she contributes.
And to suggest the likes of David de Kretser, Gus Nossal, Fiona Stanley, Pat McGorry and Ian Kiernan would lean on Dame Elisabeth to endorse a cause she didn’t believe in beggars belief.
If the Daily Telegraph editor had any sense of courage he would publish Akerman’s words in full and apologise to Dame Elisabeth and her family for this commentator’s insensitivity.
I have to say, while on this subject, Andrew Bolt didn’t go into the same sewer as his soul mate — I guess Bolt’s spine isn’t all that tough after all.
He rails against anyone who doesn’t agree with his idiotic views on climate change — but who knows?
Maybe Dame Elisabeth is on his pending list? I, for one, won’t be holding my breath.
