I agree with you that Atkins has a very good point in his piece If we are to be brutally honest we know that what Gillard is all about at present is trying to firewall her position within the ALP rather than preserving her place in the Lodge. You can bet that Tim has his shed all but packed up and that Gillard has an early booking for the movers to clear her possessions from the lodge on September 15.
As for Satler’s stupidity isn’t it just a cipher for level of contempt that the whole country feels for Gillard? Because if she were more loved and respected by the people his line of questioning would not have been taken in the first place.
Cheers Comrade Yale
Iain. Please. There’s no way you can justify (or explain – I’ll let you off lightly and say that’s all you were doing with your perspective) Sattler asking the Prime Minister of this country about her sex life. He did it because HE doesn’t respect women. Period. Full stop.
How many more times does she have to be attacked and insulted along gender lines before you finally concede there’s more than a bit of shit-headed sexism going on with all this?
Ray
what I know about Satler is rather limited and it may well be the case that he is an old troglodyte who dislikes women but that does not undermine may point that respect is earned and if a leader is worthy of respect then they will be shown that respect even when they have done something silly or stupid. We live in an informalist society where none of us just tugs the forelock to any person on the basis of their “High Office”. That is a social virtue in my opinion however the flip side is that is that the likes of Gillard will not be shown deference by any one because she has committed far to many sins of betrayal to the Australian people.
The hard time that Gillard has been experiencing is not because of the contents of her underpants but because of her woeful political behaviour, terrible decision making, and the utter failure of her government in just about every imaginable way. There is no way that I can accept that the reason for the err “spirited” criticism of Gillard is “sexism” even if the terms of that criticism could be described as gender specific and using sexual terms.
That’s not good enough, Iain. It doesn’t excuse, permit, justify or explain why a journo would publically query the PM on her partner’s sexuality.
Ray
Sattler has been sacked and that could be the end of his media career and I am in no way endorsing,excusing or justifying his line of questioning but I do think its important to understand the social norms that are in play here.
We live in the age of Celebrity culture which celebrates the titillation of the transgressive. where there are essentially no barriers between the private and the public. Gillard Like most contemporary politicians has embraced that culture and courted the popular media (hence her spread in the women’s mags ) She has embraced twitter face book and other social media so please lets not pretend that she has done anything to maintain the dignity of her office because she hasn’t.So its understandable that if Gillard has embraced the celebrity culture that the norms of that culture will apply to how she is considered by the media players. If Brittany Spears will be scrutinised about her personal relationships why should we be surprised if Gillard is treated the same as Spears?
The essence of the offending question is possibility that Tim Matherson is acting as Gillard’s “beard” there is probably no substance to that idea but do you want to give me odds that the relationship will survive September 14?
Come off it, Iain – Gillard’s no leader but she has certainly not lowered the dignity of her office in any way, shape or form. She may not have done a great job and she may not be well liked in the electorate, but to say she has bought all this highly personal derision on herself as much as Britney Spears has and, therefore, it’s ‘anything goes’ on her private life and body parts is stretching credibility beyond belief.
Until this idiot* confronted Gillard over her sexual relationship with her live-in partner (Geezus, he as much as said “Do you two actually fuck each other?”) there was not even a hint of any public controversy in their relationship – ergo there were simply no grounds whatsoever for the matter to be raised in such a confrontational and public way.
(* Sattler is also hosting a Liberal Party fundraiser – it figures)
Ray, you’re the gift that keeps on giving 🙂
Of course she hasn’t.
As Caroline Overington wrote in the Women’s Weekly in March:
However, this wasn’t a one-off.
Here’s Joolia mucking round with Kyle boy in the carpark of 2DayFM:
It seems she likes sexism when it suits her. Yet another example of her hypercritical double standards.
Yes Ray, you’re the gift that keeps on giving, a rusted on Laborite who just can’t say no to a party that is crumbling before your own eyes, with failed policies that have cost millions, useless green schemes that have cost millions and a failed border protection policy that has cost, to date, five billion, and you still you can’t say no to Labor.
Thankfully for Australia, the majority of Australians can.
Roll on September 14.
AH WELL! IF not happy, Join The Army, and become a porno star.
GD! Are you a closet porno star?
no worries, the MUSLIMS will purge that habit out of you.
IMAGINE, If the words of the chief of the army David Morrison were the words and actions of the Catholic Church, say about 100 years ago, maybe we would have no Royal Commission, and Iain would not have to defend Satan’s disciples.
Richard
Since when have I ever defended you?
That’s a pretty lame attempt, GD. Is that all you’ve got? Do you seriously suggest that she’s “lowered the dignity” of her office by having Sandilands attend a charity event and, therefore, it’s ‘fair game’ to personally denigrate her over her sexual relationship and the size of her tits, thighs & arse? That’s just piss weak, GD.
Ray
As I suggested in an earlier comment it will be interesting to see if Gillard’s relationship with Tim endures after September 14.
But in the light of this:
I can’t help but think of your many derisory comments about Sophie Mirrabella that draw attention to her physical appearance.
That’s hardly a real comparison to Gillard being confronted on live radio over her sex life, Iain. Give me a break, will you?
And GD, let’s get one thing clear: Just because I defend Gillard over these attacks like the crap on that menu at a Liberal Party fundraiser and like the on air disrespect shown by a shock jock in Perth (who is also a Liberal Party fundraiser host), does not mean I defend her to stay in the job as PM post Sept 14 or that I think she’s done a good job. You seem to believe that just because she doesn’t run the country the way that you – a rusted-on conservative throwback – would like it to be run, gives people the right to go around denigrating her sexually in such a high profile manner. It’s piss poor politics and anyone who supports it is just as bad.
Seems like a pretty mild storm in a teacup if you ask me, pretty tame, and lame ?
Wasn’t Bob Hawke in his day, called a drunk and a womaniser ?
We didn’t hear the grizzles about that, as we do now, in these days of political correctness ?
She is in politics, as is her beau, they should have toughened up to the frays by now ?
They need to take a deep breath, smile, or grow a thicker skin.
The insults have only just started, wait till that campaign starts ?
IMAGINE Howard Sattler asking Alan Jones what he was doing to himself in a London public toilet. giggle giggle.
Ah another one of your obsessions Richard, Alan Jones and gay beats, it must be because you dream of him being in your local eh?