When does an hour seem like a lot longer? When you’re watching 60 Minutes. The Ashbygate Trust looks at the revelations that were meant to rock the Abbott Government.
THE SLIPPER SCANDAL has a sort of ring to it. But sorry, 60, Ashbygate it is.
Jeez, the crowd went off.
The revelations on 60 Minutes were so boring most of the audience adjourned to the dim sim bar before things got cold.
After a suitably portentous Liz Hayes intro (well, did anybody else notice she’d changed her hairstyle between the intro and the interview?) about this will “rock the government”, Hayes sat back and fiddled with her glasses and encouraged Ashby’s unsubstantiated allegations.
The massage. The shower. The twinks. The bears.
And a new one — when Slipper allegedly asked young James whether he preferred hairy or smooth men?
This was a surprise to the relatively unindustrious crowd at the Ashbygate Trust.
There is no reference to this conversation in any of the court documents, or in James Ashby’s statement, or in Ashby’s psychological report from Dr Phillips, which is available on the Federal Court website.
Then, a little ad break, when were alerted about Channel 9's new reality show and various other irrelevancies.
Then back to pious, sincere James — with an expression like a rained-on cocker spaniel.
He tipped what can only be called the lukewarm bucket challenge over Christopher Pyne. Our information is that pious James and carnivorous Christopher have been friends, colleagues and associates for many a long year.
Hayes has grilled Brough before.
Like most natural liars, Brough was agile and convincing. He was obfuscating, of course. But we have proof Brough has lied to the media — so have others. It is nowhere near being a revelation. It is old, old, news.
To all those who commented on our last article, you were right.
There was no way Channel 9 were going to do anything to damage the LNP government. Plausible deniability was the order of the day.
Isn’t it ever?
As for Ashby’s claims that Pyne promised him support and nurture — those are simply unsubstantiated allegations, like many things James says.
It's interesting that on Sunday 7 September ‒ the same day 60 Minutes and its backers showed their hand ‒ Samantha Maiden of the Courier Mail ‘revealed’ that Mal Brough was the “Jackie” referred to in the Ashby text log — the person who allegedly organised the dollar lawyer.
The Ashbygate Trust does not go with this theory.
We have another document.
The about theory was not advanced, or even mentioned, in the Liz Hayes 60 minutes story, so why did the Courier Mail run this assertion?
We’re looking forward to the next few days when we have time to freeze frame and peruse the screenshots of Ashby’s alleged diary. We are in possession of several of Ashby’s notepads and can only tentatively arrive at one of two conclusions:
- Ashby didn't write the diary as portrayed
- Or if he did, he did it painstakingly, in a tongue out, best writing style, way.
Anyway, that was just another chapter in the litany of crap that is the James Ashby story.
What did you think?
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Ashby: "I see you riding on your fvcking bike I'll hit you ... if I was your mother, I have drowned you at birth." http://t.co/J6tLmWfVfy
— Dave Donovan (@davrosz) September 7, 2014
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I have met Slipper. The thought that Ashby was traumatized by this shy, slightly pompous, clumsy, bumbling man is utterly beyond belief.
— Dave Donovan (@davrosz) September 7, 2014
The 4th thing was the lie and misdirection about Pyne. Ashby, it is clear, had a longstanding relationship with Pyne. http://t.co/7pzHBzujvB
— Dave Donovan (@davrosz) September 7, 2014
