05 February, 2015

In (reluctant) defence of Tony Abbott


It’s been most amusing to see everyone pre-emptively writing Tony Abbott’s prime ministerial obituary this week. This morning, regular Liberal spinner Niki Savva joined the chorus in a piece that reads exactly like it was written by a left wing columnist about Abbott prior to the 2013 election, or a right wing columnist about Rudd prior to his 2010 replacement.

While just about every criticism of Abbott by both his colleagues and his (former) cheerleaders in the media has been completely valid, the simple fact is… I can’t believe I’m actually going to say this… It’s not Tony Abbott’s fault.

For sure, since becoming prime minister less than 18 months ago, Abbott has effectively trolled the country by attempting to introduce punitive policies that he never mentioned before, delegating most of the hard work, defying mathematics, dodging accountability, talking rubbish, indulging his fetish for royalty, and expecting others to defend him for it. In general, he has focussed more on enjoying the spoils of the job he demanded we give him on the sole grounds that he was neither Julia Gillard nor Kevin Rudd, than on actually doing the job. None of that is in question.

The real question is: Why the hell is anyone surprised about any of this?

To anyone who has paid the slightest attention to Tony Abbott’s behaviour over the last ten, twenty, thirty, forty years, everything he has done as prime minister should seem perfectly familiar – predictable even.

Tony Abbott hasn’t changed a bit – not in the last two years, not in the last twenty. The deferring to others for policy guidance, the inability to advocate for his policies in the face of the mildest questioning, the use of government to further damage already defeated political adversaries, the curiously generous career prospects for his family, the freezing out of any disagreeing voices, the whingeing to other leaders with bigger problems, the reintroduction of knighthoods and the awarding of one to Prince Philip? These are not brain snaps; this is Tony Abbott functioning normally. Anything else would indeed be a surprise, albeit a welcome one.

The government and the nation find themselves in this position because we, or enough of us at least, chose to expect just such a surprise. Egged on by the likes of Savva’s publication and its tabloid stable mates, the majority of us chose to suspend the disbelief that if we just gave Tony Abbott everything he demanded (well, except control of the Senate, you absent-minded meanies!), then he would stop throwing tantrums and behave like a grown-up. We knew what he was like, anyone who didn’t know should have, and we gave him the job anyway.

Now, instead of recognising our national mistake, we have miles of columns that can be summarised as:
Liberal Party in ‘dogged opposition does not automatically translate into competent government’ shock!

As enjoyable as the schadenfreude of the last two weeks has been, the truth is it’s not Tony Abbott or Peta Credlin who should be replaced. They’re doing what they believe they were put there to do. Those who really ought to be considering their positions (or having their positions considered for them) are all those in the media who chose not to apply this level of analysis two years ago. It’s everyone who poo-pooed, or simply ignored the warnings that Tony Abbott showed little evidence of being the steady pair of hands that many wanted to portray him as. It’s everyone who ever repeated the line that Abbott would “grow into the job,” and now blames Tony for being Tony instead of their own, ideologically driven lapse in judgement.

Don’t blame Tony for being Tony. Blame anyone who expected him not to be.
  
 

14 comments:

  1. Couldnt agree more ! Thats why I and everyone in my family never vote LNP and would never vote for Abbott. People need to do their research before voting because as you said Abbott has clearly shown his true colours his whole political life . People voted for him so they shouldnt be surprised at his actions.

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    1. But you had a good life in the Howard days do you? He was LNP

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    2. Well presumably you survived the Rudd/Gillard years so what's your point?

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  2. Excellent, excellent.
    "Liberal Party in ‘dogged opposition does not automatically translate into competent government’ shock!"
    ...you deserve a knighthood for services to the realm

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    1. If nominated, won't stand, etc....

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  3. Couldn't agree more.
    I said the day after election, "Careful what you've wished for Australia, you will come to regret it".

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  4. Liberal party started out as insufferable bastards and always stayed true to their beginnings.

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  5. This was the country which allowed Howard to take us into IRAQ without a PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE OR CONSULTATION??
    As long as Australians continue to buy Murdochs genius propaganda idea that discussion of politics or anything remotely connected to it at any social gathering of two or more people, is NOT THE DONE THING, we will continue to swallow without question, any ideological rubbish the likes of LNP or ALP clowns like to throw at us?

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  6. Brilliant piece!

    Precisely my thoughts, the grotesque willful journalistic negligence of News, (and Fairfax who followed them down the same sewer) are directly responsible for manufacturing and fostering the impression that Labor were not competent - despite their obvious (and let's remember - constitutional right as parties to choose their own leader!) internal struggles. Then proceeded to foister this genuinely incompetent bunch of extreme right wing loons on us.

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    1. Labor certainly shat in their own nest several times and deserved to lose. The problem was the alternative offered no viable alternative, won by default an now this.

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  7. As Keating said in that marvellous piece with Fan " if he's ever elected,god help us"

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  8. You are so right. It's so cultish isn't it? People get so taken in by the marketing stratedgies that they become blind to awful reality, even if that reality is staring them in the face. I think people should stop drinking the Koolaide and start thinking for themselves.

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  9. The problem is, we have no good leaders on either side of politics at the moment and no good alternative either

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    1. I agree, but I also think part of the problem is that Australians can't really decide what they want from a leader any more. We think we want strong leadership but then resent it when we get it.

      Everything that Kevin Rudd was criticised for - arrogance, narcissism, lack of consultation, tearing people apart - are the very same traits Paul Keating is still praised for.

      Today, we don't respect consultative consensus, and we resent leadership. We need to make our minds up.

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