It is said that Cabbies are the political barometers of a society and I’m happy to acknowledge that. driving people around everyday lets you see and hear what is important to them. Occasionally when they drive around aspirants for high office like Bill Shorten they can also provide insights in to the sort of leader they might be if and when they attain that which the covet.With that in mind I was rather amused by this anecdote that my brother alerted me to this morning.
Once inside the vehicle, Mr Shorten became “abrasive” while giving directions to the Jones Street entrance of the university, David said.
“Shorten got in the front, I knew he was straight away, he didn’t say hello to me or anything.
“He kept saying ‘we’re going to UTS, it’s in the city’, he was really aggressive, he looked like Golem,” David told The Daily Telegraph. “He was quite loud, looking down his nose at me … He was very intimidating.”
David then told Mr Shorten: “You don’t have to yell at me, I’m just dropping you to where you want to go.”
The cab driver, who also shared his experience with 2GB’s Steve Price last night, also said Mr Shorten appeared to be arranging a planted question with a person on the other end of the mobile phone.
“He got straight on the phone to someone and said ‘Hey big boy, ask me this – Albo will be fine with it … ask us the type of prime minister we would like to be remembered as.”
A very similar question was asked of the two prospective leaders last night, to which Mr Shorten replied: “If I was to be prime minister I’d like to be known as the prime minister for the powerless, the disempowered, the people who don’t have a voice in our society.”
Following the prickly conversation, David said Mr Shorten attempted to apologise.
“He wound the window up. He had fear in his eyes, like he was thinking ‘oh s***, I shouldn’t have done this.”
David said one of the men in the back seat paid the fare of $15.60 when they arrived at the destination.
“The guy paid in cash, $15.60 bang on, no tip, three 20 cent pieces.”
The resemblance is uncanny
Related articles
- Bill Shorten backs higher super payments to build aged care fund (theguardian.com)
- Shorten should lead Labor: Marles (sbs.com.au)
- Anthony Albanese v Bill Shorten: Labor leadership debate – politics live blog – The Guardian (vote-pedia.com)
- Taxi driver and the Golem (iainhall.wordpress.com)
- Taxi driver accuses Bill Shorten of planting leadership debate question (theguardian.com)
- Shorten admits setting up question (news.com.au)
I don’t know if I believe the cabby or care much about his so-called claims. But I do like the fact Steve Price and the DT have gobbled it up and dented Shorten’s chances of becoming Opposition leader, thereby aiding the Labor Party by helping Albo get elected. They’ve actually helped the ALP while trying to hurt it. Keep up the anti-Shorten posts, Iain, because with Albo in charge the ALP will have a better future than under the gormless, sad sack Bill Shorten.
Seems I remember a similar instance of this aspiring leader showing his KRudd/Gillard Labor manners not so long ago.
Do all these people go to Ray Dixons Labor school of diplomacy? oops I used bold, sorry! And there I go again, used italics, dear me.
The incident comes a month after Mr Shorten apologised to a Melbourne pie shop owner after a “big misunderstanding” over a $4.80 pie.
He was accused of abusing store owner Annie Huang after she offered to microwave a pie and swearing as he left the shop – a claim Mr Shorten denies.
“Bill Shorten came into my shop, asked for a Boscastle pie, then I say: ‘Sold out, sorry,'” Ms Huang said at the time.
Mr Shorten said that he believed Ms Huang had said to him “It would be soft, like Julia Gillard.”
By golly, I think you’re right Ray.
As Piers Akerman said:
I agree with you Ray about Shorten, but by golly you’ll have to come up with more talent than golly spit Albanese if you want Labor to have a better future.
Piers Akerman? What a grub—-a good fuck, gone to waste.
Piers wouldn’t be putting a biased slant on it, would he GD? Oh no, not Piers – he wouldn’t take a harmless joke and make it into a shocking news story to denigrate the character of a senior Labor MP, would he? No, of course not, good old konest and unbiased Piers just tells it as it is. The world according to Piers.
Dear me Ray, one minute you attack the press for not telling it as it is and the next you attack them for telling it as it is.
You’re all over the place like a bloody snow flake.
You just can’t help yourself, can you James? You’re like a petulant child.
Well I guess then I’m in good company, aren’t I Raymond?