Tony Abbott may soon be busy in court, if all the people with possible actions against him decide to follow through, says Peter Wicks.
I have to be honest, I've never seen Brokeback Mountain, and I'm not a fan of Will and Grace.
It's not that I don't like gays, or anything like that, they're just not my type of shows. I am happy for couples of same sex to marry, but I'm not heavily influenced by gay culture, so to speak.
However, over the last couple of weeks, I feel like part of my childhood has been corrupted. Even now, some things will never be the same.
One of my favourite TV Show's now seems to have taken on a sinister meaning. Mr Ed was a great show about the love between a man and his horse. Now I am starting to wonder why Wilbur spent so much time in the stable…
Speaking of horses, in my mind Bart's Cummings will never be the same again. It has become crystal clear that I'm forever tainted.
Some would say Cory Bernardi is to blame for putting thoughts of bestiality into my mind — which he clearly did, but I don't agree he is solely to blame. A large portion of blame must go to Tony Abbott for promoting him to become his parliamentary secretary, after the previous Liberal leader, Malcolm Turnbull, had shown common sense in demoting him.
However, if you think that this ridiculous and offensive rhetoric from the Coalition’s propaganda master is the only problem facing Tony Abbott, think again. There are a number of things that are just waiting to blow up in Abbott's face, with the potential to take down some of his allies also.
Many of you have probably heard Tony Abbott, and the Coalition’s Shadow Immigration Minister, Scott Morrison, referring to Asylum Seekers as "illegal arrivals" or "illegal immigrants". I have often heard them pulled up in interviews for using these terms, which are plainly wrong.
Many of these so-called "illegal arrivals" have now settled in Australia after being processed. They live here legally, and the fact that they have been processed as asylum seekers shows there was absolutely nothing illegal about their arrival — not in the slightest. This is because it is in no way illegal for someone to seek asylum in another country.
This is common knowledge, but it does not suit the Coalition's scare campaign — hence the constant talk of "illegal arrivals" from Abbott, Morrison, and co.
What they forget is that, to the thousands that have had their asylum claims granted, the term "illegal arrivals" is not only wrong — it is defamatory.
I wonder how long it will be before some legal firm takes up a class action against members of the Coalition for defamation. The comments have been made regularly and made in public. The self-esteem of new arrivals must be dealt a serious blow, every time these defamatory accusations about their alleged criminality are promoted by the Coalition. Of course, these lies and libels also serve to promote bigotry and discrimination, which are also causes of mental anguish for section of society who have already suffered greatly.
It is not right that people of great influence continually and knowingly portray innocent people as criminals. Indeed, this instance is a fine example of why defamation laws were created.
You never know, after reading this, someone might take up the challenge and form a class action; let's hope the word spreads.
Another defamation suit that awaits Abbott and Liberal factional broker Michael Kroger, is the claim that the legendary legal mastermind and lawyer, Chris Murphy, seems to believe – based on his Twitter feed – is certain to come.
I am speaking of Barbara Ramjan, the woman that Abbott and Kroger have been slandering all over the country — calling her a "serial liar".
The apparent crime that has warranted her this infamous title was to once defeat Tony Abbott in a university political contest, thus causing Abbott to physically intimidate her by punching the wall on either side of her head. I’m sure you all know the story by now, so I won’t rehash it in all its “Once Were Warriors” style glory...
Even shock-jock Alan Jones decided it was time to cover his butt on this one, making this on-air apology:
“Ramjan is a person of high distinction having been awarded a D. Phil from Sydney Uni and she is married to a Supreme Court judge. Ramjan has spent years avoiding the limelight and glare of politics, choosing not to get involved after her student activity ceased. I was not aware of this and I accept now that the claim she was a serial liar is not factual.”
Not factual? That seems a wee bit light. Others would say that this actually makes Abbott and Kroger the serial liars. If not serial liars, at least the targets of defamation claims. One can only imagine what Jones would say if it was Julia Gillard making the defamatory comments.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't think that somebody with such little regard for the law – and a similar degree of respect for others – is fit to represent us in Parliament, let alone to represent this country as Prime Minister.
Also awaiting final outcomes are the matters of Kathy Jackson, Michael Lawler and the Health Services Union, which have Coalition fingerprints all over it. You may remember, Abbott stated in Federal Parliament that Kathy Jackson was heroic and worthy of admiration. Jackson now speaks at Liberal think tanks, even though she is under investigation by Victoria Police. Meanwhile, her fiancé and reserve dance partner, Michael Lawler, the vice president of Fair Work Australia – and appointee of Tony Abbott – is constantly defending allegations of influencing a Federal investigation and of interfering in Union business.
I have the feeling that Abbott's use-by date may be approaching faster than he thinks, although I have no doubt he will come out swinging, like he is losing to the Sydney University student presidency to a female, for example. There is no way that Abbott will go down without a fight — after all he is “The Brawler”, a nickname the Coalition used to lovingly call him, although not since the wall bashing episode hit the headlines.
I started out by saying that I hadn't seen Brokeback Mountain, but there is a movie that I can recommend.
Crouching Turnbull, Hidden Agenda.
I'm sure we'll all see it soon...
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